The Lord of Horses and Insanity
by DistanceMaster
Summary: Yugi has a lot of secrets, ones that could alter everything that people think they know about the King of Games. When Kaiba is persuaded into hosting a second Battle City tournament for tourist reasons, Yugi's secrets are forced out into the open, changing his future forever. Discontinued. Rewrite: Shadows Hold Secrets.
1. Prologue

Full Summary: Yugi has a lot of secrets that he keeps hidden from both the light and the dark. They are truths that could alter what most people thought they knew about the King of Games: everything from her personality to his past to the state of his soul. When Seto Kaiba is asked by the city of Domino to host another Battle City Tournament, all of the best duelists come out of the woodwork, including Yami, who has been given a body of his own. In a sudden turn of events, all of Yugi's secrets are forced into the open, changing his future and the future of those around him forever. SetoxYugi. Possible other pairings.

A/N:

_Italics_: in the past/memories

**Bold**: Arabic

This story is going to differ greatly from the manga and anime following Battle City. Yugi is going to be VERY different at some points as will Yami/Atem (as he's gonna have a body of his own) so no hating. This was actually a story I came up with when I was about 12 and watched the show religiously and, now it's finally seeing the light of day.

Prologue

_The caves of Al-Khayl, which were usually silent at this time of night, were filled with violent moans of pain and suffering. Occasionally, the sound would die down into the quiet, but fiercely rise again. In one of the caverns closest to the outside world, the largest of them all, two men sat, listening. They both cringed every time the moans grew louder, relaxing only when the air became still again. A small fire burned in between them, tossing soft light onto their faces. _

_One of the men was very small and pale. His hair was silver and hung loosely from the dark bandana that was wrapped around his head. He had a gray blanket pulled tightly around his small frame as he tried to keep himself warm. His wise, old, violet eyes stared at the darkness further in the cave._

_The other man was much younger, but much less jittery than the old man. His black hair was wild despite being cropped short, sticking out in a variety of directions. A faint beard had grown on his face, as dark as his hair. His gaze was focused on the old man, fire dancing in the brown depths. _

"_**This should be the last night**__," the young man said softly in Arabic._

"_**How can you be sure**__?" the old man asked._

"_**I've done this a few times Solomon, of course, not on this kind of scale**__," the young man replied. _

"_**You said that it takes only a day or two for the transformation to be complete**__," Solomon Muto spat. "__**It's been five**__."_

"_**Like I said, I've never done it on this scale before. Usually, all I'm allowed to do is simple face alterations and the like, not transforming someone's entire body and personality! Don't forget that it was you who came to me for help!**__" the young man hissed_

_Sighing, Solomon sat back against the rock behind him and nodded._

"_**I understand. It's just so painful having to watch it, Adil (1)**__," Solomon muttered. _

"_**Just be glad that you're not the one having to undergo that**__," Adil replied, motioning into the darkness. "__**He's actually doing better than most. They usually end up falling into fits of sobbing after an hour**__."_

"_**Yugi is not just physically strong**__," Solomon mused. _

"_**I know, but still. I don't think that even I could have lasted five days like this and I'm the one who creates the Khadim (2). I'm more worried about his physical state at this point."**_

"_**Why is that**__?"_

_"**He'll need to get used to certain things. First of all, the scars will be hidden, which he'll probably enjoy. Then there will me some changes to his facial structure, just minor things. I also made a few other additions to the Khadim to change even the most basics of appearances.**"_

_"**Such as**?"_

_"**His hair. That's one of his most distinctive features. No more long ponytails for him. It'll be the same color, but it'll be much shorter than before. His eye color will also remain as that's such an important family trait.**"_

_Both men looked up as the moaning died down again. They frowned when several minutes passed without a sound. Standing up, Solomon tossed the blanket aside and headed into the darkness. He'd memorized every twist and turn in the rock tunnels, easily able to find his way in the darkness. Finally, he came into a passage lighted with torches._

_It was build like a hallway with six smaller caverns on either side of it. Each cave mouth was covered by a large rectangle of cloth that hung suspended from hooks that had been drilled into the roof and each cloth had a different design on it. Most of the caverns behind the cloths were unused at the moment, though full of personal items from the people who sometimes lived in them. At the end of the passage, faint light filtered out through the small space between the cloth and the floor. Walking over to this cloth door, Solomon stared at the logo on it: a red stallion rearing on a red background._

_Pushing it aside, Solomon silently stepped into the smaller cavern. The ceiling was surprisingly high and there was only one torch out of the three that lined the wall that was lit. It sat just over a wood framed bed that was big enough for two full-grown men. Several heavy blankets, which had once covered the mattress, had been kicked down to the end or off of the bed entirely by its occupant. In one corner of the cave stood a large wooden trunk that contained shirts, pants, and other assorted clothes. On top of it, thick, ancient books had been stacked up in piles. The rest of the floor space near the walls was covered in assorted tool, strips of leather, and half-finished bridals. The only object that was out of place was a small gold box that rested on top of a work bench near the entrance (3)._

_As he walked over to the bed, Solomon seemed to age several years. The crow's feet at the corners of his eyes became more pronounced and the shadows of his face became darker. Reaching out, he ruffled the hair of the boy that slept in the bed, watching as the multi-colored tresses moved. His gaze drifted down to the sleeping boy's face, which was young and angelic. It resembled the wise face that Solomon was used to, but the hardness of it had been replaced by childish innocence. Running his hand along the boy's bare back, Solomon sighed, but with relief. The scars were gone and only smooth skin remained. Glancing down at the boy's legs, he found that the wounds there were gone as well. _

_Moaning slightly in his sleep, the boy shifted only slightly, giving the old man a look at his neck. Solomon stiffened when he saw the thick red line that cut across his grandson's neck, right below his voice box. Quickly, Solomon left the room, heading back towards the cavern in which Adil sat. Taking his seat next to the fire, Solomon expelled the breath he'd been holding in his chest since he'd seen the old scar._

"_**He still has the one on his neck**__," the old man said._

"_**There are some things that had to remain**__," Adil murmured sadly. "__**Otherwise, he'll forget who he is entirely**__. __**When do you plan to leave?**__"_

"_**As soon as he's well enough to ride**__. __**Everything is arranged**__," Solomon replied, picking up a small mug of cold coffee that sat near the fire._

"_**So in about three days? I'll miss you lunatics. You've always given me something to look forward to. You're unpredictable**__," Adil said, giving the old man a smile._

_Solomon shrugged in response, sitting back against the rock again. He turned to stare out into the night that had settled into the canyon, watching the fires that burned in the other caves in the ravine's walls._

(1) Means 'fair' in Arabic. Adil is an OC.

(2) Means servant in Arabic.

(3) The box that the Millennium Puzzle was kept in.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: There has been a few slight changes to the prologue, but nothing too pronounced. It's just some wording that I wanted to change. Every chapter from here on out will have a title, something that I usually don't do. However, I felt it was necessary due to each chapter I write having a song that I listen to when I wrote it. The titles will either be the song itself or a lyric from the song.

Chapter 1: Begins a New Beginning, Never Finds a Finish

Two years later…

_Crack! Crack! Crack! The whip formed a steady rhythm as it slammed against his back, drawing red blood. Curling up into as tight of a ball as he could, the child exposed his skin further to the leather of the whip. He knew that it was either he took a heavier beating on his back or suffered fiercer wounds on more vulnerable parts of his body. It was bad enough to always have the steady ache of hunger filling his stomach without the pain of cuts and scars. _

_Suddenly, the beating stopped, but the child refused to raise his head. He gripped the back of his head hard to keep himself from shuddering. If his torturer saw any sort of weakness or pain, the beating would start again._

_The child was a redhead, his hair hanging down just below his shoulders. It was uncontrollable and thick, large strands of it sticking out in all directions. His bangs were a bright blond and as wild as the rest of his hair. He was pale, though not necessarily from a lack of sunlight. His body was marred with old scars and bruises as well as the new ones and his dark eyes were dead. Dirt was streaked across his face and shredded clothes, which hung loosely from his skeletal frame._

_A hand grabbed his shoulder and threw him onto his bloodied back, making him wince. Dread grew in his chest as he gazed up at the dark figure that stood over him. Kneeling, the figure locked his legs down with it's own, leaning over the child's body. The whip had been cast aside and his torturer now held a long knife. A hand shot out to grip the boy's chin, forcing him to meet the figure's gaze._

"_Don't forget me, child. Don't forget these scars I've given you. Always remember what you are: a piece of shit that was born in a gutter from a piece of shit and some bastard father who's name you don't even know. If you forget, well, I may be back," the figure sneered. "And you wouldn't want that, would you?"_

_The child wildly shook his head and the figure released his chin, allowing the child to rest his head back on the carpet floor. The figure sat down on its heels for a moment, eyeing the boy before it's hands shot out, grabbing his wrists. Eyes widening with fear, the boy squirmed in an attempt to get away, but the figure's grip was strong. Holding both of the boy's thin wrists with one hand, the figure slammed them down on the floor as it raised the knife it it's other hand._

"_Stop! Please stop!" the boy shouted as he started to cry._

_As the knife cut into the skin between two of his ribs, cutting from his stomach down and around to his back, the boy let out a loud scream._

Yugi's eyes flew open as he awoke himself from the nightmare. He glanced around wildly, his breath coming in soft pants. Recognizing the dark outlines of the furniture of his bedroom, the small teenager relaxed into the mattress, his head falling back to the pillow. The clock beside his bed read 2:00 am. He covered his eyes with his hand as his breath started to settle into its normal pace.

Quickly getting out bed, Yugi threw on a pair of leather pants and a black sleeveless shirt that he found on the floor. He knew that there was no way for him to get back to sleep now so he set about finding something to do. Slipping out of his bedroom, he made his way down the hall towards the living room. The hall was dark and silent, but could easily make out furniture and the like from the harsh light that was thrown across the floor from the neon signs across the street.

He slowed as he passed a small mirror that hung on the wall and stopped when he was just past it. Turning back, he stood in front of the mirror. There were heavy bags under his eyes, but he ignored them, having gotten used to the look. Lifting his chin a little, he examined the thin bandage that was wrapped around his neck. He ran his fingers over it, sighing softly.

'Why are they back? He said they would stop forever,' he thought sadly.

Speeding back to his bedroom, Yugi quietly closed the door and made his way over to his desk. He stared down at the leather strap that sat at the edge, waiting for him. Taking it in his hands, he lifted it up to read the carving on the inside: Saimei Muto. Without a second thought, he quickly wrapped it around his neck and belted it, covering the bandage. When he was satisfied, he left the room again, closing the door behind him.

In the living room, Yugi found his grandfather's collection of texts on the subject of Napoleon's rise to power in France. Sitting down on the couch, he opened the book to the page that he'd marked the night before.

"Yugi?"

The small teenager spun around to see Yami standing in the doorway, dressed in only cotton pants. He was wiping sleep out of his eyes, a heavy frown settled on his face.

"What are you doing?" the Pharaoh asked.

"Just reading," Yugi replied, almost squeaking.

"At two a.m.?"

Yugi shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep," he said.

"Well alright then. I'm going back to bed. Tomorrow, or rather today, will be a big day."

"Do you think Kaiba will go after us?"

"There's no doubt in my mind."

"Don't hold it against him so much. He's not all bad."

Yami sighed and nodded to please Yugi, turning away from his smaller counterpart.

"Good night."

"Night."

Yugi looked back down at his book, but didn't start to read until he heard the door to Yami's bedroom close. Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Yugi scanned the page. He mouthed the words to himself in Arabic, easily translating the originally Japanese text.

Excitement filled the air as a crowd gathered in Domino City's main square. People of all kinds, tourists, students, the elderly, passersby, talked amongst themselves, throwing glances at the row of people lined up in front of the stage at one side of the plaza. A line of barricades was all that separated the crowd from the duelists that stood waiting, most of them slightly annoyed.

"Where the hell is dat bastard?" Joey muttered, arms crossed over his chest.

"Kaiba likes to make an entrance. He'll be here eventually," Yami replied from where he stood next to Joey.

Yugi glanced up at the Pharaoh, studying the peculiar look on his face. Despite Yami having magically acquired his own body a few months earlier, Yugi still found it very easy to read his moods. The small teenager knew fully well how much Yami disliked Seto Kaiba and that his absolute abhorrence for the man came out in the most controlled way the Pharaoh could possible achieve: the 'Kaiba mood'. It was comprised of a scowl that looked halfway between anger and indifference and it only made an appearance whenever the tall brunette was around or mentioned.

"I just want to get on with dis," Joey hissed, practically gritting his teeth.

Cameras were flashing all around them as reporters took pictures of the line of duelists. Yugi shifted uncomfortably as one of them turned to look at him. Feeling a light tap on his arm, the teenager glanced up to see Yami looking at him, a small frown masking his face. Giving his friend a small shrug and a smile, Yugi turned to face forward again.

'Don't think about it. They'll never know. They can take as many pictures as they want and they'll never know. No one will,' he thought as more cameras flashes and snapped.

Yami stared down at Yugi for a moment longer, but quickly looked away. He knew better than to read the teenager's thoughts, having established the rule when Yugi had first become aware of his existence. They may have shared a body, but Yugi was still entitled to some amount of privacy.

"This is getting a lot of media attention," Marik said from Yugi's other side.

The blond Egyptian fidgeted slightly as his gaze swept over the crowd.

"Of course it is. Last year's tournament was one of the best tourist attractions for the city in years. This year, it's gonna just get bigger, especially with this level of skill present. Seems that Kaiba only invited the best back," Yami muttered.

"I'm somewhat surprised at the former Ghouls are here, though," Marik replied, motioning to his former puppets that stood at the far end of the line.

"It only makes the competition tougher and the prize all the more rewarding," Joey laughed.

Yugi said nothing. He clasped his hands behind his back and took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't think that he'd ever get used to the immense media coverage that had hounded Yami and him ever since their decisive win at Duelist Kingdom. The cameras made him nervous and the questions of the shouting reporters didn't help. He almost never made any sort of comment, preferring to get away from them as soon as possible.

Suddenly, the attention of the reporters and the crowd was diverted away from the line of duelists, focusing on the man that was approaching the stage with two bodyguards at his heels. Seto Kaiba looked just as angry and harsh as ever, his designer shoes clacking loudly on the stone sidewalk. His silver eyes were narrowed into a fierce glare as to walked up onto the stage and stood behind the podium.

None of the duelists that were assembled just in front of the stage turned to look at him. In fact, Yugi closed his eyes, letting his chin fall downwards a bit as Seto started to talk.

"Today signals the start of the second Battle City Tournament. Last year, this tournament gained world-wide attention for the power and skill of those who participated and, this year, we hope to repeat that performance."

Yugi smiled a little, hearing the very apparent sarcasm in the CEO's voice.

"Now, the rules will be the same as last year, but I shall repeat them for good measure. Every duelist starts off with one chip that is part of a larger map to the location where the final rounds will held. At the start of each duel, both duelists put up their chip and a card as tribute. If they lose, both the chip and card are given to the winner. When a map is complete, then that duelist is allowed to participate in the finals. May the best duelist win."

With these final word, Seto threw an angry glare at the Yugi and Yami's backs, eyes narrowing further. Both Yugi and Yami ignored the look, although Yami returned it when Seto left the stage. Sighing, Yugi tapped his taller counterpart on the arm.

"Let it go," he said as the other duelists around them started to wander off.

Yami rolled his eyes, but followed Yugi anyway. Marik fell into step beside him and they both watched Yugi carefully as he led them past the crowd. Joey and Yugi were walking side by side, chatting happily about something that neither Marik or Yami could quite make out.

"Is something up?" Marik asked quietly.

"Something's bothering him, but I don't know what," Yami replied.

"And you haven't asked him about it?" Marik asked.

"It's not my place to pry. If he needs my help, he'll let me know," Yami sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, he is your hikari."

"Yugi likes to do things on his own terms, surprisingly enough. Keeps him in control, I guess."

"I never thought of Yugi as controlling," Marik said, smiling a little.

"He's not with most things, but when it comes to his own personal problems, he is," Yami murmured, his gaze boring into his smaller friend's back.

Marik glanced over at the Pharaoh, curious, but he kept his face emotionless.

"What's changed that has you so worried?"

Stopping, Yami looked down at his feet for a moment, trying to find a way to formulate what he was going to say. Marik didn't dare to interrupt his thought process and resigned himself to silently waiting.

"He hardly sleeps anymore and when he does, its only for a few hours," the Pharaoh murmured softly.

"Is it nightmares or-"

"-I believe so. I don't have any real proof though."

"You won't look into his mind?"

"Just because your dark side loves to find any possible weaknesses that you have doesn't mean that I like doing the same," Yami spat.

"I'm sorry! I was just asking," Marik cried.

"I know, I know," Yami murmured, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. "I'm sorry for being snippy."

Marik shrugged and motioned towards the group of duelists that was now far ahead.

"We'd better catch up or he'll think we're up to something."

Yugi, having sensed that Yami had fallen behind, had stopped and was waiting for them at a street corner. Meeting the small teenager's gaze, Yami smiled a little and started walking again, Marik close behind.

Seto had stormed away from the podium, his bodyguards trying hard to catch up. He gritted his teeth and hissed something unintelligible under his breath. His normal anger had been spiked by seeing that annoying little brat and his friends. Sure, he hadn't seen the two cheerleaders, but they'd been somewhere in the crowd, he just knew it.

It annoyed him to no end that he'd been forced to invite Yugi and his like to the tournament. Of course, having Yugi and Yami there gave him more chances to steal the title of King of Games from either of them (or preferably both), but the smaller boy's personality grated on his nerves like a rough, porous stone. Then there was the mutt that came along with the deal. Seto quickly pushed the thought of Joey out of his head, preferring to stick to his rival than the ragged mutt. It only increased his drive to destroy that smiling little bastard.

"Sir, we-"

"-Get out of here!" Seto shouted at his bodyguards, rounding on them. "There are duels to be fought!"

"Right away, Sir!"

They scampered off, leaving the CEO by himself in the busy street. People stared at him as he stormed past them, recognizing him as one of the most powerful men in the country. He ignored them completely, scowling at anyone who tried to step in his path. Noticing someone up ahead, the CEO's scowl turned into a smirk. One of the former Ghouls, a tall, slim man with as fierce of eyes as Kaiba's own was waiting on the street corner, the duel disk on his arm more than apparent.

"Well, the weak must fall for the mighty to rise."

A/N: The title of this section comes from the song 'Anywhere Is' by Enya. I'm a HUGE Enya fan so a lot of the titles will probably come from her work. The full line is: "I walk the maze of moments, but everywhere I turn to, begins a new beginning, but never finds a finish."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Underlined words are in English. Just so you all know, the three languages present are English, Japanese, and Arabic. Members of Yugi's family and other characters speak all three so it's easiest to discern between them by using different fonts.

Chapter 2: "Silence Like a Cancer Grows"

Yugi and the others had split up, each heading in a different direction. Yami had gone north with Tea practically fawning after him, which annoyed the Pharaoh to no end. When he'd walked away, Yugi could feel the annoyance rolling off of his taller counterpart, making him laugh softly. Joey and Tristan had offered to go with Yugi, but he'd refused, sending them on their own way to the west. Marik, hesitant about leaving Yugi on his own, had tried to persuade the small teenager to walk with them to the east. Odion, who had come as a supporter for his brother, however, had sensed Yugi's desire to be alone and dragged the blond away before he could say anything else. The tall man had winked and smiled at Yugi over his shoulder as they retreated.

Heading south, Yugi followed the busy streets, always on the look out for a duel. He didn't see any of the other duelists for several blocks until he came to a busy corner. Cutting into the ring of people that stood there, Yugi stopped and knelt down just behind the second row of spectators. The teenager quickly recognized both Seto and the duelist he was facing. After all, the man had been one of Marik's Ghouls the previous year.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Yugi watched with interest as the hologram was summoned, roaring loudly. As he glanced at the rest of the summoned monsters on the field, Yugi was not surprised to find that Kaiba's skills were just as sharp as ever. The brunette had all three of his Blue Eyes White Dragons in play as well as two face down cards. Yugi, having spent a lot of time dueling with Kaiba, guessed that they were traps.

He also knew that Kaiba had the former Ghoul right where he wanted him: defenseless. On the other side of the battlefield, the Ghoul had nothing to compare to the power of one Blue Eyes, let alone three. His one monster was knelt in a defensive position and all of his spells had been obliterated in previous turns. The man trembled a little with rage, having come to realize exactly where this was going.

"Attack my dragons!"

In an instant, there were three bursts of light. One rammed into the Ghouls only remaining defense, destroying it. The other two were directed straight at the man, taking away any remaining Life Points he had. Kaiba smirked as he quickly withdrew his cards and shuffled them back into his deck. Walking over to the man, he held out a hand in silence. Reluctantly, the former Ghoul handed over both a single card, facedown, and the clear chip he'd been sent in the mail only a few days earlier.

"You're done," Seto said coldly.

The crowd around Yugi murmured softly as the CEO took off, angrily walking out of the circle. Yugi watched him carefully, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. When Seto was out of view, the small teenager sighed to himself and smacked his forehead hard, rubbing it.

He had liked –even possibly loved- Seto Kaiba since they'd met nearly a year and a half earlier. The raw power and pain of the young man had endeared Yugi to him, no matter what Yami felt about him. Then there was the fact that Kaiba was shockingly handsome. He had a strong face, fierce steel eyes, a muscled, but no overly, body-

Yugi violently shook his head and forced himself to stand. Everyone who knew him thought of him as a pure romantic, but Yugi was actual quite practical when it came to love. There were too many barriers that separated what Yugi wanted from reality, walls that had been erected by everyone else around him, including Kaiba himself. The teenager had no doubts that Kaiba hated him and he also knew that hatred was something that the angry CEO was not going to get over anytime soon.

'I need somewhere to think,' Yugi thought as he made his way towards a coffee shop across the street.

As he stepped inside, he could feel eyes following him, but, thankfully, no one asked any questions or made any comments. He quickly paid for a shot of espresso, a taste he'd acquired on a trip to Italy with his grandfather. Sitting at the back of the shop, Yugi took off his duel disk and set it on the table, picking up the small cup of espresso. He sipped on it casually, his mind slipping into the dark corners that he'd forbidden Yami from entering.

Yugi had decided to keep his feelings for Kaiba a secret from the first day he'd realized them. Not even Yami, who had been sharing his body at the time, knew and the teenager preferred to keep it that way. Facing hatred and the possibility of rejection from the one he loved was bad enough without being berated by his taller counterpart.

Looking up, Yugi realized that someone had taken the seat across from him. It was a woman, short, with straight blond hair cropped at her chin. She was dressed in a dark business suit, a color that complimented her tanned skin. Her eyes were a sharp brown that Yugi had never seen before. They almost seemed black. The woman's face was pleasant enough: slim, tapered cleanly down to her chin, high cheekbones. She was giving Yugi a hard stare, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Can I help you?" Yugi asked.

"No, you can't," the woman replied.

"Alright?" Yugi said tentatively.

Panic started to rise in Yugi's stomach, making his hands shake as the woman stared at him. He now recognized the woman's face: the hard lines, the downturned mouth. How could he not have seen it before? A change of hair and eye color shouldn't have mattered that much.

"But I can help you," the woman spat.

"Um, I really don't think so," Yugi murmured, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Yes, I can. Of course, its probably not the help you're looking for," the woman replied.

"I-"

"-**You forget too easily, you piece of shit. Respond only when I ask a question**."

The woman's cold words made Yugi snap his head down, tearing his eyes away from her. He could feel her smirk, but kept his gaze glued to his lap. His hands were shaking slightly.

"**I was surprised to return and find that you've changed quite a bit. Physically, I mean. Other than that, you're still the bastard child you already were**," the woman continued in Arabic. "**You're using a Khadim, aren't you**?"

"**So what if I am**?" Yugi asked quietly.

"**It shows that you don't want to remember who you are and you promised me that you always remember. I don't take broken promises lightly. You'll be just like your whore of a mother if you keep this up."**

"**What are you-**"

"**-You'll find out soon enough.**"

The woman stood up, brushing some dust that only she could see off of her pants. Straightening her jacket, she glanced down at the terrified Yugi once again.

"**Oh and, don't tell your grandfather that I'm here. It'll only ruin it**."

She quickly left, leaving Yugi to his thoughts. His eyes remained fixed on his hands, his entire body starting to shake slightly. When he heard the café's door close, Yugi raised his head and took a shaky breath. Images of blood and gore filled his mind, but he fought them down. Showing his fear would only make the experience more delightful for her.

Abandoning his espresso, Yugi left the café. He glanced right and left as he started to cross the street, looking for the blond woman. She was nowhere to be seen, but Yugi knew she was there. Her presence was suffocating him. However, he walked calmly away from the coffee shop, connecting the duel disk back to his arm. He needed something to quell the storm that was raging in his head and he needed it badly.

'Are you okay?' Yami asked him telepathically.

'I'm fine,' Yugi replied.

'You don't seem fine. I can sense your fear from where I am.'

'Really, I'm fine. I just finished watching a tough duel is all.'

Yami was silent for a moment.

'If you say so. Contact me if you need anything.'

'I will.'

The blond woman stood in an alley a few blocks away, her entire expression cold. She leaned back against the brick building behind her, not caring if her clothes got dirty. They were for show anyway.

Reaching up, she yanked off her blond wig, revealing the dark hair underneath. She kept it short enough to be easily covered by the flat tresses of the wig, all except for her lightning shaped bangs. Quickly taking out the bobby pins that kept them in place, she let them flopped in her face, having been released from the tight confines. With a quick brush through from her fingers, they flared out in either direction. She ran her hand over the rest of her hair, smoothing it back against her head. It was thick, but straight, an unusual trait for the someone of the Muto family.

Yumi Muto grumbled something under her breath as she started to take out her contacts. It was a quick process, as she was used to the act by now. Pulling a plastic container out of her pocket, she closed her eyes and set the contacts into the liquid contents of the container. She then set it back into her pocket, the cold look still on her face.

"Fucking piece of shit," she hissed in English.

She opened her eyes, baring the shocking bright lilac color of her irises.

A/N: This title comes from the Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. It is one of my favorite songs of all time and it fits Yugi's personality pretty well for this entire piece. The ground Gregorian also did a great rendition of this song.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Remember that this story will be VASTLY different from the original. Duel Monsters stays, the main characters stay, and all of that. Yugi's background has been wiped away and replaced with something else entirely. It'll all be revealed soon. I like to draw these things out a bit .

Chapter 3: Darkness on the Edge of Town

Seto Kaiba was angry. No, more like absolutely, completely, one-hundred percent furious. The duel hadn't helped to settle his mind as he'd hoped. In fact, it had only angered him further. It had been too easy of a fight and the man he'd faced too simple of an opponent. Seto craved a challenge, something that would put his mind and body to the test.

'Why did I even agree to let that fucker come back? It was a waste of money and time,' he though as he turned the corner.

Up ahead, he spotted Yami and Tea, the girl practically latched onto the Pharaoh's arm. Seto rolled his eyes and stomped over to them. Sensing the approaching storm, Yami turned around, the hatred apparent on his face. The two men stared at each other with nothing, but disgust for the other. Tea dropped back behind Yami, the fierce atmosphere making her nervous.

"What the hell do you want, Kaiba?" Yami spat.

"Is that any way to talk to the tournament host?" Seto asked, smirking.

"The only reason I'm ever slightly polite to you is because Yugi asks me to be. Answer the question, Kaiba," the Pharaoh muttered.

"I don't have to answer any questions you ask me. Speaking of the little brat, where is he? I thought that you two were practically attached at the hip," Seto replied.

"I too don't have to answer your question, but I will be the better person and do it anyway. He went off on his own, if you must know. Yugi does have a mind of his own, after all. Why the fuck do you even care?"

"I want to be sure that the brat doesn't suddenly lose and get kicked out before I can crush him."

The crowd around them had stopped to watch the exchange. Seto's rivalry with the two Mutos was as legendary as the game they played and no one was willing to either step in or leave it alone. Even Tea stepped back, falling into an unusual silence.

"Yugi won't lose and you know that," the Pharaoh said with confidence.

"I'm not so sure about that. He always had you to fight his battles for him," Seto laughed.

"He's stronger than you give him credit for."

"With a body like the one he has, I really doubt it."

Yami gritted his teeth. He's promised himself to try and be at least cordial with the CEO for his smaller counterpart's sake, but the man was making it really hard for him to keep it together. His desire to beat Seto Kaiba into the ground was stronger than ever.

'Why the hell does Yugi even like this guy?' Yami wondered. 'He's rude, brash, blunt, and so fucking annoying.'

"That's a bit below the belt, don't you think?" the Pharaoh asked. "You really will do anything to try and win."

"Should you really be the one to say that? You would have let me fall from the walls of Pegasus's castle if not for that brat," Seto laughed.

"I don't take orders from Yugi, if that's what you're insinuating," Yami replied.

"You're the one who said that you are only 'polite' because the brat told you to be."

Yami sighed in annoyance. Kaiba did have a point there.

"I take my partner's wishes seriously. His happiness matters to me," he said.

"Do I sense an unrequited crush?" Kaiba asked mockingly.

Shaking his head, Yami smiled. It had been clear to him for the past year and a half that Seto Kaiba didn't understand a thing about Yugi Muto and this only reinforced his opinion.

"Hardly. Yugi is like a younger brother to me. Don't you ever try to please your brother?"

"Don't you dare drag Mokuba into this," Seto hissed.

"I'm not. I'm just saying that I love Yugi in the same manner that you love your brother. Yugi's prosperity and happiness are my first priority and always will be. I really have no idea what he sees in you, but Yugi likes you and if he tells me to be nice to an asshole like you, then I will try to be," Yami replied, his voice as hard and cold as ice.

"That is exactly what my problem is with you," Kaiba spat. "You're fakes. Both of you are."

"Why, because we try to be nice to people? That's not fake on Yugi's part. He really is like that."

"Cut the crap. No one could act like that all the time. Mark my words: he's not who you think he is."

Yami rolled his eyes, letting out a hiss.

"I think I know Yugi better than you do," he muttered.

"Do you now?"

Suddenly, Yami fell silent, eyes widening a little. He sensed Yugi's fear. Even from several blocks away, it felt as strong as if his smaller counterpart was standing right beside him.

"Can't think of anything to say?" Kaiba asked, sneering.

"I have more important things to think about than what to say to you," Yami growled.

"Sure you do."

Seto's face returned to its normal cold expression, his mouth turning into a frown.

"Make sure that both you and the brat make it to the finals. I want to destroy the both of you."

Yami watched Seto as he walked back in the direction from which he'd come, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

'Are you okay?' Yami asked Yugi over their connection.

'I'm fine.'

The Pharaoh heard the uneasy tenor to the teenager's voice.

'You don't seem fine. I can sense your fear from where I am,' he replied.

'Really, I'm fine. I just finished watching a tough duel is all.'

Sighing to himself, Yami turned to Tea and motioned for them to start walking again, heading the opposite way from where Kaiba had gone.

'If you say so. Contact me if you need anything,' he said, trying to sound serious.

'I will.'

"If everything alright?" Tea asked nervously.

"I'm not sure," Yami murmured. "Have you noticed Yugi acting strange lately?"

"No, why?"

"Never mind. It must just be my imagination."

Deep in his heart, Yami knew that wasn't true. Yugi had always been a sound sleeper, even if he woke up earlier than most. Now, he was practically an insomniac and, the few times he did sleep, his connection with Yami was severed. Whatever dreams or lack of dreams he may be having, Yami had no way of no way of knowing. It was left as a complete mystery to him.

Yugi felt as though he was in a daze, his mind filled with cold mist. His vision was blurry and he hardly paid any attention to where he was going. It felt as if his body was moving on its own, a walking puppet. He may as well have had strings attached to every joint in his body. It would have made him feel more human.

"Oh I'm sorry!" he cried as he ran straight into someone's chest.

His eyes widened as he recognized the silver jacket. Slowly, his gaze traveled up the firm chest to see the annoyed face of Seto Kaiba looking down at him. Yugi gulped softly, a slight blush spread across his face.

"Watch where you're going, midget," Seto snapped.

"Sorry," Yugi murmured.

Seto's eyes narrowed as he stared down at the small duelist in front of him. He'd noticed the misty look in Yugi's eyes earlier and the almost helpless expression that went along with it. Kaiba had almost started to cheer for joy until the small teen ran right into him and turned his eyes upwards.

Never before had Seto been as close to Yugi as he was now. With a crack of lighting, it suddenly dawned on him how cute the other duelist was, especially blushing as fiercely as he was now. His eyes were large and a rich purple color as opposed to the maroon tone of Yami's. Surprisingly long eyelashes framed them, giving him a somewhat feminine appearance. His blond bangs swung easily in the light breeze, although the rest of his hair stayed solid in its pointed spikes. Seto was almost prepared to ask Yugi what kind of gel he used to achieve the effect when he realized that the small duelist didn't smell of chemical hair products at all.

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Seto focused again on Yugi's face. The mist in his eyes had been replaced by the sharp edge of surprise and something else that he couldn't quite place. Embarrassment maybe?

"I just ran into your cousin," Seto said coldly.

"Oh Yami? Did he make you angry?" Yugi asked.

'Why is he so concerned about that?' Kaiba wondered.

"The both of you make me angry," he spat.

Yugi almost seemed to recoil from his words, his body slumping.

"I'm sorry-"

"-Stop apologizing, you midget. Just get a move on. You're blocking my way," Kaiba hissed.

With a quick nod, Yugi took off running. Seto turned to watch him leave, a strange feeling growing in his chest. His gaze trailed down to the small boy's back, following the curve of his spine to the waist. His hands itched to reach out, grab the duelist's thin hips, and pull him into his lap. Finally, his eyes fell to Yugi's ass, so small and tight. What would it be like to trail his fingers over the smooth skin of his thighs and reach around the lithe body for the probably just as small prize at-

He stopped himself there, slapping his forehead harshly. He growled at himself for daring to even think kindly of Yugi Muto, let alone what he looked like. The boy was annoying and that was it. Spinning on his heel, he set off to find another duel, although he doubted it would cool him off. It would at least give him something else to think about.

Yumi slowly made her way back to her hotel, looking around at the familiar cityscape with a smile on her face. It had been years since she'd been in Domino, but she was happy to see that not a lot had changed. The old family restaurants were still in their same places and selling the same food. Mom and pop shops that had been open since Yumi was a child had their doors open for the public. Even some of the graffiti that decorated the walls of the alleys, despite being faded, appeared the same as she remembered.

Spotting her hotel, a cheap, rundown thing, she jogged across the street towards it, avoiding a couple of bikes. She threw the front door open and got into the tiny elevator. As the doors closed, she closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of molding fabric and old urine. She scrunched up her nose and shivered slightly at the shock it gave her senses.

Her lilac eyes slowly opened and fell on her altered reflection in the metal of the doors. It made her look taller than she really was, elongating her torso. She smiled at the reflection, laughing a little.

When the doors opened, she quickly stepped into the hall and made her way towards her room. She stopped at number 307, which was two doors away from the elevator. Sliding the key into the reader, she jerked it out, hearing the lock click. Grabbing the handle, Yumi turned it and shoved to find it stuck against the frame. She sighed loudly and slammed her shoulder against the door, pushing it in.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn. It smelled just as bad as the elevator, but Yumi didn't mind it at all. Taking off her jacket, she threw it on the bed in the corner, not caring enough to pick it up when it fell off the edge. The walls were a plain stark white, although they looked gray in the darkness. A small dresser was pushed up on one wall, an old TV resting on top. Next to the TV was a small bundle of cloth.

Yumi smiled as she picked up the bundle and opened it. Lying in the center of the mass was a brown, old fashioned whip. It had a thick handle that was several inches long and fit perfectly in Yumi's hand. Nine tails of knotted cotton cord extended off of one end menacingly.

Repositioning the whip in her hand, she turned to face one of the walls. She brought her hand back and cracked the whip along the white surface, leaving nine black marks in its wake. The air was filled with rampant electricity as she whipped the wall again and again and again until the muscles in her arm ached. As she dropped her arm to her side, Yumi looked down at the whip.

'Been a while since I've done that,' she thought before glancing at the wall. 'It's too bad that walls can't weep blood.'

A/N: The kind of whip that Yumi uses is called a cat o' nine tails. It originated in Europe and inflicts severe pain. The title is a Bruce Springsteen song from his fourth album, also entitled Darkness on the Edge of Town.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Primavera Anticipada/Early Spring

He'd been running for what felt like hours. His lungs burned and his legs ached, but he kept going. The adrenaline just continued to pump through him without abating. Finally, when he was near the docks, his foot caught on a crack in the sidewalk and he fell, scraping his palms and knees.

Groaning, Yugi pushed himself up onto his feet, staggering. He grabbed a nearby lamppost, leaning his entire weight on it. Glancing down at his knees, he found his leather pants to be intact, but he knew that the skin underneath had not received such kind treatment. The wounds stung fiercely as he tried to move his legs, but he didn't wince from the pain.

Resting his head back against the post, he took a deep breath, trying to bring his breathing down to an acceptable level. His heart, however, refused to calm down along with it. It beat wildly in his chest, making it hurt slightly.

'I acted like a total idiot,' he thought as his head dropped into his hand. 'I'm sure that he hates me more now than ever.'

With a heavy sigh, he straightened up and lightly dusted off his pants, trying to avoid from adding pressure to his scraped knees.

"Hey, you!"

Yugi turned to see another duelist, a former Ghoul, storming towards him. He easily recognized the bald head and multiple piercings and put on a warm smile.

"Hello," he replied cheerfully.

His happy tone only seemed to anger the duelist more for he spat in Yugi's direction. Ignoring the wad of saliva that landed near his feet, Yugi held up the duel disk attached to his arm.

"Is this what you want?" he asked.

"Of course, you idiot. I will beat your sorry ass this time," the former Ghoul muttered.

Fighting back another sigh, Yugi laid his arm flat out in front of him as the duel started. He drew his first hand, examining them as the holographic grid lines appeared, hovering over the sidewalk. Even in an area as far removed from the main streets, a crowd still gathered to watch. They whispered among themselves as the bald Ghoul across from Yugi smiled wickedly.

"I'll start first," the man cried, throwing down his first card.

'So impatient,' Yugi thought as a slimy beast was summoned onto the field. 'If time brings roses, then this man won't be in this tournament long enough for the seeds to be planted.'

His eyes fluttered close for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing.

'I shouldn't think like that. You never know what will happen and impatience is not always a bad thing. There is such a thing as excessive patience as well,' he scolded himself. 'If you judge people, you have no time to love them.'

"Hey!"

Yugi's eyes snapped open and focused on the battle at hand. He smiled easily to mask the unease that was growing in his soul.

"Alright, let's duel then."

"Mr. Kaiba, sir, you really need to look at this."

"I'm busy. Now fuck off."

"No, sir. You really need to-"

"-I don't really need to do anything."

Kaiba gritted his teeth. Seto Kaiba did not normally hide from anyone. He preferred to face them head on, but on this day, at this particular time, he wished there was a dark hole where he could curl up and not be found for a week. The high pitched voice of his assistant was not helping the headache that had been raging in his head since Yugi had accidentally run into him nearly an hour earlier. The pounding on his skull was enough to make a man go insane without adding loud, shrill voices to the mix. Unfortunately for him, in the middle of a throng of people, she had still managed to find him.

"It's about Yugi Muto, sir."

His strides unconsciously became faster as she spoke again.

"Like I give a shit."

"Sir, we have a recording of him dueling not half an hour ago. You may want to look at it."

With a loud hiss, Kaiba spun around and yanked the tablet from of his assistant's hands. Holding it up, he tapped the screen to start the video. As he stood in the middle of the street, watching the recording, the people around him gave the CEO a wide berth, not daring to get too close.

His eyes narrowed as he watched the recording of the duel between Yugi and the bald Ghoul. He vaguely remembered the former Ghoul as being the original carrier of Slifer the Sky Dragon the previous year before Yugi –or Yami, rather- won it off of him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Yugi was still playing in the light-hearted manner he always had, carefully laying down the cards like they were precious pieces of glass.

Then, about ten minutes into the duel, something changed. During the middle of the Ghoul's turn, Yugi's right leg buckled for no apparent reason. The teenager staggered slightly although he easily regained his footing. Seto frowned as he watched Yugi lean over, massing his lower thigh with one hand. Although his face didn't show the pain, the camera easily picked it up in his eyes. The purple gaze narrowed further when his hand traveled lightly over the spot just above his knee on the front of the thigh. His chin dropped to his chest for a moment.

Suddenly, he snapped his head up and Kaiba almost shivered. The pain had been replaced by a cold, dull stare, a look that wasn't far from that of the lifeless, bald marionette that stood across the battlefield. As Yugi straightened up, Seto noticed that he shifted his entire weight onto his left leg, though his right foot remained on the ground.

"What the hell?" he murmured to himself as he duel commenced. "He and Yami are completely separate now. There shouldn't be any shifts like this."

He watched as Yugi drew another card. His movements were slower than before, almost deliberately so. It was unlike anything that Seto had ever seen the young duelist do, even when Yami had taken over. They, like Seto himself, usually set a fast pace in their duels, reacting to anything in a split second.

Within five minutes, the short duelist had decimated the former Ghoul's entire line of offense and had eliminated every Life Point he had. Despite the speed at which the act was done, Kaiba noticed that every action was precise, fluid, and calculated. It was almost as though he was some sort of skilled dancer moving across a stage, the moves having been memorized and learned through years of training and practice. There was not a step that was out of place. Something was definitely wrong.

"Do we know what the hell happened?" Seto spat at his assistant as he handed the tablet back to her.

She shook her head, a worried glint flaring in her eyes.

"It just seems that he had a sudden pain in his leg," she replied. "We've had several people look at the footage already and that was all they could find."

"Well get more people on it!" he shouted. "I want to know what the fuck happened!"

"Yes sir!" his assistant squeaked.

Before he turned to walk away, Kaiba asked, "Where is the brat now?"

The assistant shook her head again, clutching the tablet to her chest.

"KaibaCorp has some of the most advanced technology in the world. We make holograms possible, security systems more efficient, and you're telling me that we can't find one very noticeable brat?"

He was practically yelling now, his voice rising into a tone that the assistant had never heard from him before. Sure, he'd been upset with her. She'd even seen him fire people mercilessly, but it had been nothing to compared to what she was facing now.

"He's a fucking celebrity, for Christ's sake! Find him! Now!"

As his assistant scrambled away from him, Seto let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. His headache had only increased, the banging growing louder. For the past year and a half, the thought of beating the eternally cheerful Yugi Muto had been one of the few constants in Seto Kaiba's life. It had driven almost everything he did, from creating his first hologram to setting up Battle City. He wanted to be the one to wipe the oh-so-clearly-fake smile from the annoying brat's face. Now, that dream was in jeopardy.

'Fucking Yugi Muto always has to be the one to fuck up my life,' he thought as he stormed off in the direction of the docks.

He would find the little brat and make him talk even if it meant pulling out his fingernails with a pair of pliers.

The current target of Kaiba's anger was hiding behind a pile of stacked crates less than twenty yards from where he'd dueled Strings. As soon as the duel had ended, Yugi had quickly collected the card and chip that he'd won and limped away as fast as he could. The moment that he was out of sight, he'd slipped down into a sitting position, unable to move.

He sat there for nearly an hour, massaging his leg. When the pain had mostly subsided and only the tingling of relaxing muscles remained, he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. Yugi flipped it open and scrolled through the list of contacts, quickly finding the one he was looking for. He clicked it, the sound of ringing filling his ears.

"**Hello**?" a groggy voice asked on the other end of the line.

"**Adil**?" Yugi asked.

"**Hey Yu, what's up**?" the man groaned.

"**We have a slight problem**," Yugi murmured.

"**With the Khadim**?"

"**Yeah**."

"**Hang on a second**."

The faint rustling of cotton reached Yugi's ears through the receiver as Adil got out of bed. Then came the sound of Adil's leg hitting a table and cursing softly. Yugi smiled and almost laughed.

"**Alright, what's the problem**?"

"**A few things actually. I'm getting really strong pains in my right leg and my nightmares have returned. You said that they won't come back as long as I have the Khadim**."

"**Shit. The spell should have completely lasted through the end of next month. Something must be wrong with it. You haven't hurt your chest or anything have you**?" Adil asked.

"**No. I've been really careful**," Yugi replied.

"**Okay. Clearly something is causing the spell to malfunction. I'll hop on the first plane I can get**," the Egyptian sighed. "**We'll get it sorted out**."

"**Do you need money for the ticket**?" the teen asked.

"**No. I still have a lot left over from when you paid me before. I'll easily manage**," the man on the other end said.

"**Thanks, Adil**," Yugi murmured.

"**No problem. I'll see you soon**."

Adil quickly hung up and Yugi hit the end call button. Sighing, he glanced up at the sky above him. A few clouds drifted lazily across the bright blue expanse, having not a care in the world. Some seagulls soared into view, cawing loudly as they dove back towards the sea. A stray piece of paper fluttered down towards him, a flier for the Battle City Tournament. Yugi assumed that the wind had ripped it off of a building somewhere nearby and carried it gracefully to where he currently sat.

He was too distracted to hear the footsteps that were approaching his hiding spot. A brunette head pokes around the crates, spotting him. The mouth turned down into a scowl.

"Hey brat."

A/N: This song has four versions by Laura Pausini: Spanish, English, Italian, and a Spanish/English duet with James Blunt.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: You Can't Get Away

"Hey brat."

Yugi froze, his whole body tensing. He recognized that deep voice. It had been haunting him for the past year and a half, infiltrating his mind while he was both awake and asleep. Before the awful nightmares had returned, Yugi had dreamt of the CEO almost every night, imaging the brunette touching him, kissing him, whispering things in his ear. He shivered slightly as he remembered, blushing

"What the fuck happened?" Kaiba asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"S-Sorry, I wasn't listening," Yugi stuttered as he was shocked out of his memories.

The brunette gritted his teeth.

"The duel. What the fuck happened?" Kaiba repeated.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba's gaze dropped down to the small teenager's right leg before rising again to look into the purple eyes.

"Battle City is my tournament and I see everything that goes on. Your leg suddenly gave out half-way through that duel," Kaiba hissed.

"Why are you asking?" Yugi asked warily.

"Because I need to know," Kaiba spat.

"It was nothing, just a sudden spasm or something. It happens," Yugi replied, shrugging.

The small teen lowered his gaze to his hands as the CEO continued to stare at him. He shifted uncomfortably where he sat, feeling the steel eyes focused on him. Narrowing his gaze, Kaiba sprung forward, grabbing the collar of Yugi's jacket. He hoisted the smaller boy up and threw him against the wall of the next building. Yugi's breath rushed out of him as he hit the bricks. Reaching out, Kaiba pushed Yugi flat against the wall, his hand holding the thin shoulder in its tight grip.

"Shit like that doesn't just happen, you brat!" he shouted, his face inches away from Yugi's.

Struggling, Yugi tried to get away, but found himself trapped.

"Let me go!"

"Tell me what happened!"

"No!"

"God damn it, brat! I don't want to waste money on this tournament to have one of it's top competitors injured!"

Yugi gritted his teeth, feeling his throat constrict.

"Leave me the fuck alone!"

A small foot connected with Kaiba's knee, knocking him off balance. As the CEO tried to recover, he let go on Yugi's jacket, his hand falling to his throbbing knee. Yugi bolted away, fleeing from the angry brunette.

"Get back here Muto!" Kaiba shouted as he ran after the smaller teen.

Dashing into the alley that crossed the one he'd been in, Yugi dodged around several more piles of crates, running as fast as he could. He could hear Kaiba catching up to him, but he didn't dare to look back. His tennis shoes squeaked as Yugi slid out onto the sidewalk, almost running straight into a crowd of people.

"Yugi!" a familiar voice called out.

Yugi turned to see Joey and Tristan walking towards him. The blond was waving his two map chips, grinning happily. Hearing footsteps behind him, Yugi dashed toward them, ducking between the two taller teenagers.

"Where are you going?" Joey shouted as Yugi ran past them.

"Sorry! You'll figure it out in a second!" Yugi replied.

"Get the fuck back here!" Kaiba's voice rung through the streets.

'Oh shit,' Yugi thought, throwing himself into the next alley.

Just as Yugi disappeared into the darkness, Kaiba burst out into the street, skidding to a stop. He looked around wildly, his teeth practically bared. His eyes landed on Tristan and Joey and they paled under his gaze. As the CEO started to walk in their direction, looking around for the small duelist he'd been chasing, the two taller teens stepped into his direct path. He threw them a fierce glare, growling something under his breath.

"Where the hell did the brat go?" Kaiba spat.

"Why should we tell you dat?" Joey asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just tell me, mutt. I am really not in the mood to see you, let alone talk to you," Kaiba muttered.

Joey seethed at the brunette's answer, opening his mouth to let loose a string of stupid remarks. Realizing what his friend was about to do, Tristan punched his arm, silencing the blond.

"We don't know where he went. He ran straight past us without stopping," Tristan said calmly.

"Fuck," Kaiba hissed.

He stormed off, pulling his cellphone out of his pocket.

"Taro, I need you to locate someone for me. I don't care if you're filing my corporate taxes! Just do it!"

When the brunette was out of sight, Joey and Tristan both turned to look at the mouth of the alley Yugi had disappeared to. The small duelist peaked his head out, glancing in both directions. Seeing that the street was empty of any angry CEO's, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the alley.

"What the hell was that about?" Tristan asked, motioning in the direction that Kaiba had gone.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure," Yugi lied.

His heart skipped a beat as he thought about what had occurred in the alley. He wasn't at all surprised that Kaiba had been watching his duel with Strings as the young CEO had taken an interesting in both Yugi and Yami's styles of dueling following his first defeat at their hands. However, the brunette's apparent interest in his health had shocked him to his core, leaving him no time to realize that Kaiba had seen his greatest secret, even if it was just a small part. Now, he was shaking inside with fear.

"The guy is an asshole and there's no way around that fact," Joey muttered.

"Don't say that. He's not all bad," Yugi protested.

"He just chased you out of an alley with killer intent and you're willing to say he's actually nice?" Joey cried. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"This is Yugi you're talking to, Joey. He thinks everyone has a good side," Tristan sighed, clapping his blond friend on the shoulder.

As Joey mumbled a string of curses and insults at the missing Kaiba, Tristan looked closely at their smaller friend. He seemed nervous, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as he twiddled his thumbs. There was also a faint red tinge to Yugi's cheeks, a clear blush.

"No matter what you think though, you're coming with us, Yugi. Don't even try to fight us on this. Kaiba is going to find you sooner than latter and I think it will be better if you have us with you," Tristan explained.

Yugi agreed reluctantly. In his mind, he silently pleaded for Adil to hurry. He wasn't sure how much longer the Khadim was going to hold out and he was not at all ready to face his friends –or rival- in his true form. The past two happy years was not something he was willing to give up for anything.

As he trailed behind Tristan and Joey, Yugi's mind drifted to the blond woman he'd met earlier in the coffee shop. He shuddered to even think of her, but he knew that with her around, he would have to be on his guard all the time. She was dangerous in the most realistic sense, especially to him. The very thought of her was drenched in blood: his blood.

Reaching up, he absentmindedly ran his fingers over the metal buckle of the leather strap on his neck. It was cool to the touch, raising goose bumps on the back of his hand. He hooked one of his fingers under the tongue of the buckle, lifting it up a little. Letting go, he listened to it lightly clink as it dropped back into place.

The small leather belt was one of Yugi's most prized possession. He'd worn it every day since receiving it at age nine and, if he didn't have it wrapped around his neck, he felt naked, vulnerable. This fact was partly due to the bandages and ugly scar that he preferred to hide, but, more than anything, it was because the belt had once belonged to one of the most important people in his life. Whenever he touched it, he thought of her and he could almost smell the jasmine perfume that she had loved. The faint scent would fill his nose and sweep him back into the past, to a time before the scars and fear.

Sadness pricked his heart, sending waves of the depressing emotion through him. He missed her and the love she'd given him terribly. Even though he had the affections of many people, he'd found nothing to replace that of Saimei Muto. Not even his cousin, Indi, who he loved like a sister, came close.

Despite the passing years, Yugi had never forgotten when Saimei had looked like. Her face, almost identical to his own, was engraved into his mind. Just like him, she had the signature purple eyes of the Muto family, although her's had been a tiny bit darker. She'd been a tiny woman, standing at barely four feet eleven inches, but she'd been built like an Olympic athlete. Her hair, though, was what Yugi remembered the best. She wore the long, red locks in the same style every day: a high ponytail kept back by a circular gold clasp with her bangs hanging to frame her face. The only time that Yugi ever remembered seeing it down was when she had been sleeping.

Her death had left Yugi feeling hollow for a long time and what had followed had killed his soul even more. However, he never blamed her for her part in his demise. It had been a simple misreading of character.

"-gi! Earth to Yugi!"

"Huh?"

Yugi looked up to see both Joey and Tristan staring back at him.

"Are you okay? You were really out of it," Tristan said.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking," Yugi laughed.

"About what?" Joey asked.

"Nothing important."

* * *

Yumi strolled up and down the hall outside her hotel room, her arms hanging limp at her side. Her bare feet shuffled slightly against the carpet as she walked, mostly due to the almost miniscule height she lifted her feet to with each step. The whip was tied to her belt, the nine deadly tails swinging behind her. She was completely emotionless, expressionless.

Her plan was so simple that it was going to be difficult to not screw it up. Everything she needed was laid out on the desk in her room, waiting. The impatient side of her just wanted to get the damn thing over with, but her rational side was the one in control. She fought down the urge by making herself continued to pace, ignoring the watch on her wrist.

"Only a few more hours," she murmured to herself. "A few more hours and we strike."

She fingered the whip that hung at her hip, feeling the rough texture of the cotton knots. Her hand dropped away only when someone else entered the hall from one of the other rooms, although it was resting back on the cotton as soon as the person was out of sight. One corner of her mouth twitched, but quickly returned to its straight line. Her lilac eyes were trained on the floor at her feet, unmoving. The red bloodlust that flashed in them went seen by only the walls and the air.

A/N: the title is a line from Mike Oldfield's Crisis.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: There will be a lot of OC's in the following chapters including ones that are solely mentioned but do not appear. Saimei, Yumi, Indi, and Adil are all OC's. Warning: there will be a LOT OF THEM throughout this story!

Chapter 6: Survive

"I'm sorry sir, but we cannot find his exact location."

"You're telling me that we can design and create some of the most advanced technology in the world and we can't even find one damn brat? What the hell is this?"

"For some reason the tracking device in the chip of the map that we gave him isn't working."

"Are any of the tracking devices working?"

"All, but Yugi Muto's sir."

"Fuck it all to hell!"

Seto was ready to throw his phone against the wall in anger. He'd spent the past hour looking for Yugi and the fact that the brat hadn't shown up anywhere was starting to get to him. Every street and alley had been followed and Yugi was nowhere to be seen. Every attempt at tracking him had come up with nothing. Despite all of his money and tenacity, Seto Kaiba was unable to find the one redheaded classmate that angered him more than anyone else.

Abstaining from destroying his cellphone, Seto slipped it back into the pocket of his jacket, looking around him. He stood on a busy street corner, people walking around him as though he was a giant rock in the middle of a river. Those that looked at him were met with glares and those who didn't still felt the burning gaze.

Growling, he pulled out the four chips that he had in his pocket. Holding them up in the sunlight, he quickly connected them, knowing automatically what pieces went where. When he was done, he examined the almost completed map, tracing the path drawn in red with his eyes. Two more duels and his would be complete.

"Oi, Kaiba!"

Seto turned to see another duelist coming towards him, a confident swagger in his step. A smirk spread across the CEO's face. Soon he would have his fifth chip.

* * *

The Fukui Auto Repair Shop was filled with mechanics bustling about. A large accident early in the morning had given the shop's ten employees plenty of work for the day. A group of three men were huddled under a small Toyota, examining some of the damaged framework. The rest were rushing around, ordering new parts, finding badly needed tools, or something else like that.

Only one man, the owner Ren Fukui, was not involved in the work on the cars. He knelt in the far back corner of the shop, running a cloth along the engine of a black motorcycle. For the past three days, he'd painstakingly repaired and cleaned the Kawasaki, even replacing the only somewhat worn front wheel. The owner of the bike had been a favorite customer of his for years and Fukui took it on himself to take extra care of the deeply loved Kawasaki.

His eyes trailed over the black paint that he'd reapplied the morning before, checking for odd scratches that hadn't been there before. Finding none, his gaze moved onto the yellow decals that traced the inside of metal plates on the side of the motorcycle. Fukui had always been the kind of man who was proud of his work, but the repairs he'd done to this particular Kawasaki always made his ego swell more than anything else. Some of the other employees teased the old man that he loved the bike –and it's owner- more than his own wife, a claim that Mrs. Fukui easily brushed off. She, unlike the other mechanics, completely understood why Fukui paid so much attention to the bike.

Sitting back on his heels, Fukui brushed the sweat off of his forehead. Satisfied with his work, he stood up just as the bell on the door that separated the repair garage from the front of the shop rang. He turned and smiled widely when he saw a small woman step into the garage. The door swung closed behind her as she glanced over at him.

"I was wondering when you were going to pick up your bike," Fukui laughed as the young woman walked over to him.

"Sorry, but college classes trump coming to see you, old man," the woman shot back, her tone playful.

Fukui was by no means a tall person, but the young woman was much smaller. She stood at just a centimeter over four foot ten, coming up to the middle of Fukui's neck. Her hair was cut short, a few tiny waves of dark blue hair curling just under her ears. Only her bangs remained long, fanning out over her forehead in lightning-shapes pieces. The tight jeans that she wore revealed the raw power of her muscled legs. Her shoulders were strangely broad and thin, her collarbone sticking out a little. A pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes.

"So how did the surgery go?" she asked.

"You sound like a concerned mother," Fukui joked as he knelt down again beside the Kawasaki.

"I love this bike almost as much as life itself. Why shouldn't I be concerned when someone keyed the hell out of it?" the woman replied.

"I've found myself wondering several times today if your dad made the right choice in buying you this bike. You always seem to run into trouble with it," Fukui said.

The woman rolled her eyes, though Fukui couldn't see it through her sunglasses.

"I always seem to get into trouble no matter what I do," she muttered.

Fukui smiled again and, reaching into his back pocket, retrieved a ring of keys. He threw them to the young woman who easily caught the ring. The keys jingled as she turned them over in her hand.

"Excited to get back on the road?" Fukui asked.

The young woman smiled and quickly shooed the older mechanic out of the way. Throwing one leg over the motorcycle, she sat down, running one hand over the handlebars. Tightening her grip, she set her fingers on the accelerator as her other hand set the keys into the ignition. Fukui stepped back as the bike roared to life, filling the room with the loud humming of an engine. Around the garage, the other mechanics stopped to watch.

"Feels good," the young woman shouted.

"I'm glad. You're one of my best customers," Fukui replied.

"Only because I'm always getting into trouble. I've cleared my bill with Marui so can I go?"

She shot Fukui a smile as he nodded. Pushing off of the ground with her right foot, she set the bike in motion, quickly darting out the open doors of the garage. When she reached the street, she stopped and glanced back at Fukui and the other mechanics that had gathered at the mouth of the garage. She grinned at them again before turning onto the street, riding away.

The motorcycle hummed contentedly under her as she dodged around cars and trucks. Her bangs whipped back against her forehead as the wind ran over her face and hair. She paid no attention to the speed gage, too busy thinking about what she was going to face when she got to her grandfather's. The call that she'd gotten from him an hour earlier had been frantic and what he'd told her had made her more than worried.

Pulling up to the Kame Game Shop, she parked her motorcycle in the alley behind it. Finding the back door open, she made her way through the lower level, quickly jogging up the stairs.

"Grandpa!" she shouted as she stepped into the living room.

"Indi!" he replied, poking his head over the couch.

Walking around the couch, Indigo Muto frowned. Her grandfather was sitting in at the coffee table, photos spread out across it. She recognized a younger version of herself in a couple of them, but most had nothing to do with her. Of those, several were old and frayed at the edges from years of being held, depicting bloody crime scenes.

"Do you really need to pull those out?" she groaned.

"Unfortunately, yes," Solomon sighed. "We've spent the last two years ignoring what happened. Adil said that he might not be able to fix the Khadim and if he can't, then I'll have to face reality again."

"Why didn't Yu tell you that he was having problems with the Khadim? He should have known that Adil would call you about it," Indi asked.

"When has Yugi ever been someone to tell us what's wrong with him?" Solomon replied.

"Never."

"Exactly."

Reaching out, Solomon picked up the photos, finding a newspaper clipping underneath. It was dated ten years earlier.

"I sometimes wonder why things went down the way they did," he murmured.

"Do you mean with Aunt Saimei or Yu?" Indi asked.

"It's one and the same to me."

"Yu doesn't blame you for what happened."

"Perhaps not, but I do blame myself."

Solomon sighed as he set the clipping down, picking up one of the crime scene photos instead. He showed it to Indi as he spoke.

"This could have been avoided."

Indi nodded in agreement, but said nothing. She crossed her arms over her chest, glancing over at her sad grandfather. Her gaze traveled down to the picture he held. She hadn't been there when the picture had been taken, but she remembered the day clearly.

_Hospitals had always made her nervous, but she put on a brave face as she followed her father in through the sliding doors. The smell, cold and acidic, filled her nose, making her cringe. She blinked several times as the white color of the walls and the florescent lights blinded her. Shivers ran through her entire body as they made their way through the building, riding the elevators up to the pediatrics ward._

_Approaching the nurses' desk, Indi watched her father as he asked for the room number. She focused her entire attention on his mouth, watching as it formed words. As the nurse searched to find the information for them, her father turned his gaze down to her's._

_She'd heard her father talking to his brother on the phone the night before. The seriousness of the conversation hadn't been lost on her, but it was the look on his face at the hospital that cemented the horror of the situation for her. Her father was Tsubasa, the third youngest of Solomon Muto's four children and the trickster of the family. His smile was famous for making anyone feel better. At that moment though, standing at the nurses' station, everything about him was humorless._

_The nurse, finally finding the number, led them in the direction of the private rooms. They stopped outside of room 617 and the nurse started to whisper something to Tsubasa. Indi glanced at the door, growing nervous._

"_Indi," her father said, turning to her._

_Glancing up, she timidly met his gaze._

"_Take a seat and wait here. I'm not sure if you'll be allowed in, but just wait here and see, okay?" Tsubasa said quietly._

_Indi nodded and took a seat in the row of chairs across the hall. She watched her father disappear into the room. Her eyes never left the white paint while she waited, her hands trapped under her thighs. It felt like an eternity until the door opened and her father motioned to her._

_Slipping into the room, she found it very dark. The blinds were closed, blocking most of the sunlight, leaving the only remaining light coming from the beeping machines that winged the hospital bed. In the faint light, Indi could just make out the figure on the bed, red locks of hair spilling out over the white pillow. She heard the door close again as Tsubasa left the room._

_She slowly approached the bed, taking small, tentative steps. Taking a seat in the chair that had been pulled up beside it, she stared at the sleeping figure. Despite being asleep, he still looked tired. Dark lines traced the bottom lid of his eyes and his entire face seemed to sag. His hair was longer than when she'd last seen him, ending at his shoulders. One thin arm was curled over his stomach, the other extended to offer the inside of its elbow for the IV. Looking closer, Indi found that the sheets sunk around him, revealing just how emaciated her cousin was. If she'd pulled the covers back, Indi knew that she would have found his ribs sticking out further than they should. A long scar cut across the middle of his throat, the result of what looked like a severe rope burn._

_The dark purple eyes opened and glanced over at her, the blond bangs swaying slightly. She smiled weakly and held out her hand. He took it, his overly thin fingers gripping hers tightly. His face crumpled and a faint sob escaped from him. Leaning over, Indi hugged her nine-year-old cousin tightly, letting him cry into the crook of her neck._

"What do you think will happen to Yu if the Khadim breaks? Emotionally, I mean," Indi asked.

Solomon glanced over at her sadly.

"I'm not sure. He really seems to be enjoying the freedom of not having the scars," he replied.

"What about his friends?"

"What about them?"

Indi turned to look at her grandfather. A feeling of almost parental protectiveness took over her as she crossed her legs under her.

"Are they trustworthy?"

"I believe so. They've stuck by him with all the chaos over the last two years," Solomon said, finally cracking a small smile. "You really are protective of him."

"Of course. We're cousins and he may as well be the brother I never had," Indi hummed.

"They seem him the same way you do, Indi. I don't think there would be a problem. Sure, the changed appearance would take some getting used to and he's much more quiet than with the Khadim, but I seriously doubt that they would abandon him," Solomon replied.

"If you say so."

She sat back against the couch, sighing.

"Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

"Why did Yumi do it?"

"I really don't fucking know."

They fell into silence.

* * *

Yugi was just about to finish a duel with Espa Roba when he felt a twinge of pain in his back. It was hot, but not scalding, racing diagonally across his skin from his hip up to his shoulder. He shuddered, goose bumps rising up on his arms. It was different from the pain in his leg, which had been long lasting and continuous. This one was short and sharp, enough to make him cringe a bit.

"Are you okay, Yugi?" Espa asked, noticing the strange look on the smaller duelists face.

Nodding, Yugi smiled at his friend. "I'm fine."

It took him two more turns and a string of powerful traps to finally beat Espa. Sighing in defeat, the green-haired duelist pulled his last chip out of his pocket, walking over to Yugi to hand it over.

"You sure?" he asked as he reached out to touch Yugi's forehead.

"Really, I'm okay," Yugi protested.

"You sound like my brothers when they try to lie to me," Espa replied.

"I'm not lying," the redhead said calmly.

"Good job, Yugi!" Joey shouted as he came over, Tristan not far behind. "How does it feel to be beat again, Espa?"

"Shut up, Joey. You're just being cocky 'cause you beat me first," Espa muttered.

"Hey!"

The pain in Yugi's back had already dulled and disappeared, leaving behind only a memory. However, the memory had done more than its fair share of damage to Yugi's state of mind. While his two friends bickered, he was panicking inside.

'Oh God, I hope Adil gets here soon. I have a bad feeling, like it's really going to happen. I don't want to go back to the scars. I don't want people to know. What would Joey and the others think? What would Yami think? Oh God, Kaiba would probably find me even more disgusting than he does now if he knew!' he thought frantically.

He'd somehow managed to avoid the CEO for the past several hours, although he wasn't quite sure how exactly. The brunette was not someone who gave up easily when he was chasing something so Yugi had no reason to suspect that his apparent luck was due to a lack of tenacity of Kaiba's part. Something else would have had to prevent the CEO from finding him and whatever it was, Yugi was somewhat grateful for it.

On any other day, the small teenager would have welcomed Kaiba chasing him around, relishing in the tiny bit of attention from his crush. Today, however, was the kind of day where Yugi didn't want to be around the brunette at all. He felt too afraid and too weak to face the hatred of the brunette with a straight face. The stress would make him break down almost instantly.

He sighed inwardly and looked back at Espa and Joey, who were still bickering. A faint smile tugged at his lips when Tristan had to step between the two, trying to stop the argument. Pushing the thought of the pain into the back of his mind, Yugi focused on what was in front of him at that moment. He would think about the aches and non-existent scars when Adil arrived.

A/N: And the mystery grows! Some answers will be coming soon, some won't. Yugi and Kaiba will show up a lot more in the next few chapters so don't worry, they'll be back. This chapter has a lot more to do with establishing Indigo as a close friend and confidant character for Yugi as well as being his cousin. The title comes from "I Will Survive" by Stephanie Bentley.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Evening Falls

Seto Kaiba stood in one of the vast warehouses that he owned on the edge of town. The warehouse was empty of anything that it had once housed: equipment, shelving units, even merchandize. It had all been shipped somewhere else or moved to another one of the almost identical warehouses on either side of this one.

His gaze was hard and cold, as usual, annoyance filling the air around him like an ominous scent. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets, one fingering the small plastic chips that made up the Battle City map. The room itself was cold, but Seto ignored it, forcing his body not to shiver. That, after all, would be a display of weakness.

"Big brother?" Mokuba asked, glancing up at Seto.

"Yes?" Seto replied, his voice cold.

"Where are the others?" his brother murmured.

"Late as usual," Seto hissed. "None of them understand the concept of being on time. Besides, we shouldn't concern ourselves with what they're doing. They can take care of themselves."

"But what if something bad happens to one of them?" Mokuba asked.

Seto gave his brother a small glare, although it wasn't filled with the hate or animosity that he threw at everyone else.

"Why are you so concerned?" he asked.

"I just feel like something bad is going to happen," the younger Kaiba admitted. "I've been feeling it all day."

"Nothing bad will happen," Seto said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "No one will hurt you."

"I wasn't talking about me being the victim," Mokuba murmured.

"If you're not in danger, than it is of no concern to me," Seto replied.

Sighing, Mokuba just decided to give in. He knew his brother well enough to know that the brunette wasn't going to listen to him any time soon. Seto was a firm believer in the idea that no one outside of the family really mattered, not even his greatest rivals.

Mokuba shivered a little and shifted his weight from one foot to the other in a display of anxiousness. The truth was that he'd felt the growing danger for the past few weeks, ever since he'd started having those dreams about the orphanage, about the red-haired boy. He didn't quite understand why, but, in his heart, he knew that the feelings he'd been having had something to do with the Battle City Tournament. When he'd awoken that morning, he'd been hit with a feeling of absolute terror. Something was coming and it was going to result in something terrible.

Suddenly, the door at the far end of the metal warehouse opened and a group of people stepped in, walking in a single file line. Mokuba quickly recognized them as the other finalists.

Yami was in the lead, Marik only a step behind. Mai Valentine, the only female duelist in the tournament this year, was next, followed by Tea and Odion. Mokuba could hear his brother growling curses at them under his breath, especially at the two 'leeches' as Seto liked to call them.

"What the hell are they doing here?" the CEO shouted, motioning to Tea and Odion.

"My brother stays with me wherever I go," Marik snarled in reply, "And Tea is here as support for her friends. What is Mokuba doing here?"

"He's here because he wants to be," Seto spat.

Seeing that Marik was about to make a short, snappy reply, Odion quickly said, "It's alright, Mr. Kaiba. If you want us to leave, then I would be happy to do so, Tea as well."

"No, stay," Seto sighed in annoyance. "You're here already."

"Then what was the problem in the first place?" Tea grumbled.

Mokuba ignored the tension, his gaze drifting to Yami. The Pharaoh had, so far, been silent, staring at Mokuba with a curious gaze. A shiver ran down the younger Kaiba's spine. Yami almost seemed to be looking right through him, into every thought or idea he'd ever had.

The door opened again, snapping Mokuba and Yami out of their staring contest. Everyone looked over to see Joey and Tristan step inside, the door swinging shut behind them. Seto's teeth set into a snarl when he didn't see the small redhead with them.

"Where's Yugi?" Yami asked in a concerned voice.

"We met up with his gramps outside. Said that he had to talk to Yugi about something important and then dey started speaking in English so I have no idea what dey were saying," Joey said with a shrug.

"Are you really that bad of a student that you can't follow a simple conversation?" Seto spat.

"Hey! It was really fast!" Joey shouted in reply.

"He isn't kidding," Tristan sighed. "Yugi and Mr. Muto talk fast, especially when it's anything other than Japanese."

Seto muttered to himself in annoyance and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we'll wait for the brat."

As everyone started in on their own conversations, Marik stepped closer to Yami. Their eyes met and the blond Egyptian saw the obvious worry that filled the maroon irises.

"Do you feel it?" Marik asked quietly.

"That cloud of darkness hanging in the air? Yes," Yami whispered in reply. "Mokuba can sense it too, although I'm not sure how."

"The younger Kaiba has always seemed to be more in tune with the supernatural than his brother," Marik explained.

"I'm more worried about Yugi," Yami murmured.

"I'm not surprised. Even Malik is concerned. Then again, anything involving Ataullaha is concerning," the blond said.

"Ataullaha?"

"He's a newcomer to the Shadow Realm, otherwise known as the Lord of Insanity. Malik says that he is one of the reasons for the coming darkness."

Following the disastrous end to the previous Battle City Tournament, Marik's alter ego, Malik, had been offered a place as the spirit of the Millennium Rod, but on the agreement that he would never try to take over Marik's body again. The spirit had agreed and became a strong figure within the powers of the Shadow Realm, just as Yami and Bakura were. He'd actually calmed somewhat from the homicidal maniac that they'd first met during the finals. Now, he and Marik were close friends, almost like brothers.

"A newcomer? How long has he been there?"

"About eight or nine years in our world's length of time. No one is sure where he came from since the demons nor the monsters want to claim him as their own. He's as strong as any of the souls in the Millennium Items and even more dangerous."

"How so?"

"No one knows what his powers are and, what's worse, no one even knows what he looks like. He keeps himself hidden under a black cloak all the time."

"In the Shadow Realm? Is that even necessary?" Yami asked, laughing a little.

"Don't laugh, Pharaoh," Marik murmured, his face a mask of seriousness. "If Malik is scared of Ataullaha, then he is a serious threat."

"Towards us?"

"I'm still not sure. I contacted my sister, Ryou, and Pegasus to see what they think, but no one has found anything else beyond what Malik already told me," Marik sighed.

"Pegasus? Why did you ask him? Bakura has the Eye," Yami said, frowning.

Marik laughed a little.

"Even if you lose your Item, you still retain some connection with the Shadow Realm," Marik explained. "Either way, he didn't have any new information for me either."

They fell silent, lost in thought. Suddenly, Yami felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and he winced, shaking his head wildly. It was searing hot, digging through his skull and into his brain like a drill. The excoriating feeling of wiped out any thoughts he had and sunk into his senses. He couldn't hear, couldn't smell, couldn't feel, couldn't see. Even his sense of taste was gone. Only the pain remained.

Not a moment later, it was gone and everything returned to him in a wave, almost knocking him down. Light seemed to explode in his eyes, making him blink until the colors swam into view and sharpened into objects and people. The metallic scent of the walls around them rushed into his nose, causing it to sting harshly. Slowly, Marik's voice broke through the silence, calling his name. Yami's frown deepened as he met the blond's concerned eyes.

Yami opened his mouth to speak when the door opened once again and Yugi slipped into the warehouse. The Pharaoh made to approach the smaller duelist, but Marik grabbed his arm and stopped him. They exchanged a glance and agreed to wait.

"About time," Seto snarled.

"Sorry, family business," Yugi replied, stopping between Joey and Tristan.

Kaiba snorted, but turned and led the duelists and their friends towards the far end of the warehouse. As they walked, Yami kept throwing stares at Yugi, trying to get his attention, but the smaller teenager either didn't notice or was ignoring him. The round of creaking metal drew Yami's attention away from his hikari as the giant door at the far end of the slid up, opening.

The duelists murmured among themselves as they stepped into the fading sun of the day to find themselves standing before a giant metal gate that was flanked on either side by a giant stone wall that stretched over ten feet tall and extended at least three hundred yards in either direction. On the front of the gate was the insignia for Kaiba Corp.

"Welcome to the finals," Seto shouted to them as the gate started to swing open by itself.

* * *

Not five minutes earlier, Yugi was walking with Joey and Tristan towards the warehouse. Both Yugi and Joey had made it into the finals, their completed maps held out in front of them. The sun was going down, throwing warm light over them.

Yugi, however, was more than warm. Hot blood trickled down his right leg, unseen under the dark material of his pants, but easily felt. His leg had started to hurt again over an hour before and Yugi thanked whatever Goddess of Luck was out there that he'd finished all of his duels before then. He had been barely able to focus on watching Joey's last duel due to the pain and, as they followed the red path drawn on the map, it took all of his energy to keep his limp to a minimum.

Joey was chattering happily about all of the possibilities of the finals when a familiar voice called out to them. The three teenagers turned around and Yugi had never before been so happy to see his grandfather. Solomon was walking towards them, smiling warmly.

"Hello Mr. Muto," Tristan said as the old man approached.

"Hi boys. Can I borrow Yugi for a second? It's important," Solomon replied.

"You have my bandages?" Yugi asked quickly in English.

"Yes and I have a feeling that this is going to be your only opportunity to wrap your leg up before the finals," Solomon said, nodding.

"You guys go ahead. I'll be there in a second," Yugi said to his friends.

"If you say so," Joey laughed before turning to lead Tristan towards the warehouse.

When they were gone, Solomon reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a roll of bandages.

"Thanks a lot, Grandpa," Yugi murmured, staring down at the roll of white fabric.

"No need to thank me, Yugi. You shouldn't suffer through the effects of the Khadim that's losing its power alone," Solomon said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Yugi smiled weakly at him.

"It means a lot to me when you do things like this," Yugi continued.

"Don't get all sappy on me, Yugi. With the Khadim weakening, that part of your personality will be going away soon and I need to get used to the original Yugi again," Solomon teased.

Laughing, the small teen quickly hugged his grandfather and, after a glance at the area around them, knelt down. He stretched his right leg out and rolled up his jeans. Just under the surface of his skin, thick white lines cut across his thigh and shin, their color faded slightly by his natural color. In one spot, a few inches above his knee, part of the line had broken the skin, allowing red blood to ooze out and travel down the curves of his thin legs.

Starting at the bottom, Yugi bound his leg in the bandage, covering every centimeter of the white lines. When he was finished, about a third of the skin was covered. The bandage spiraled up his leg like a snake wound around a tree.

Yugi pushed the leg of his jeans down, stood and embraced his grandfather again. The two Muto men clapped each other on the back as they pulled away, purple eyes meeting. A silent smile was exchanged.

"As Indi would say, go kick the shit out of them," Solomon chuckled.

"I'll try."

Solomon was about to turn away when Yugi called, "Grandpa?"

"Yes?"

Yugi hesitated for a moment.

"As soon as Adil gets here, can you send him to me? I don't know if the Khadim will last through the finals."

Seeing the look of despair on his grandson's face, the gray-haired man nodded, his eyes glittering sadly. They had both believed the Khadim to be a final saving grace for all of Yugi's past suffering and, now, when he needed it most, the Khadim was failing him.

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I updated, but I've been focusing on an DM/HP story recently. So, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. We're just about to get to the good stuff, aka reveal some more secrets. The title is from an Enya song, Evening Falls.

Remember this key:

**Bold**: Arabic

Underlined: English


	9. Chapter 8: Others

Chapter 8: Devil Inside

The giant gate swung open slowly, revealing a path made of shining metal. Everything around them, from the fake, towering trees to the lawns on either side of the walkway, was made of the shimmering material; so many shades of gray, ranging from almost black to steel to near white. In the center of it all was a vast open space, a plaza, for the final duels.

Stepping into the cold, frozen garden, Yugi felt a shiver run through him. He knew exactly what Seto had been thinking when he'd had designed and built the marvel of a structure. Even the trees had been put in precise places, reflecting the almost photographic memory of Seto Kaiba.

"What the hell is dis place?" Joey murmured as he walked beside Yugi.

"Don't you recognize it?" Yugi asked.

The blond shook his head and Yugi smiled, motioning to the trees around them.

"It's a metal replica of the path to Pegasus's castle," the small duelist replied.

"God, you're right," Joey gasped. "What the hell-"

"-He's making a statement," Yami said, cutting Joey off. "Except for Marik, all of us were at Duelist Kingdom. He's trying to outdo Pegasus in his own way."

"Kaiba turned the wild nature of Pegasus's island into a controlled city of metal," Yugi said.

"So much trouble to go through to say something so simple," Mai huffed from where she walked in front of Joey. "Are we sure Kaiba is competing for the title of King of Games and not King of Being Over the Top?"

"Kaiba is a greedy guy. He'll take everything he can get," Yami sighed in annoyance.

"It is best to keep your mouth shut or you may just get shit shoved in it," Seto spat as he turned to face the other duelists.

Yami rolled his eyes and gave Yugi a pleading look. The smaller teenager shook his head, to which Yami groaned in reply. Biting his tongue to keep from saying anything that his shorter counterpart would later berate him for, Yami glared at Seto, who returned the gesture.

"Now, this is where we'll duel," Kaiba said, motioning to the open plaza around them. "That board over there will keep track of Life Points, what cards are on the field, etcetera as well as the bracket. Any stupid questions or shall we get on with it?"

When no one replied, Seto turned to look up at the board. It lit up, flashing the names of the first two competitors.

"Excited to get your ass handed to you, Joey?" Mai smirked as she strutted over to the other side of the plaza.

"I beat you last time if-"

Suddenly there was a loud crack, like thunder, and a dark mist filled the air around them. It swirled and dove as though it was a family of sparrows playing in the afternoon sun and, from its shadows, a deep voice laughed.

"What the hell?" Kaiba shouted. "What the fuck is going?"

"Hello, duelists and spirits," the rough voice cackled from the darkness.

"Spirits?" Marik asked.

"He means us," a clear voice said from Marik's other side.

The blond jumped back in surprise to see Malik standing there with a deep scowl on his face. His hair was much wilder than Marik's and longer, falling to his waist. The spirit crossed his arms over his chest, looking pissed off.

"Malik, what are you doing here?" Yami cried.

"Do I look like I know?" the spirit snapped. "We spirits aren't allowed to exist in the real world if we're not in control of our hikari's bodies or our own, yet look, here I stand!"

"He is correct," the first voice laughed as its owner stepped out of the shadows, "But this is neither the real world nor the Shadow Realm so the rules don't apply here."

Malik snarled something incoherent at the man that stood before them. He was dressed in a white robe very similar to the one Shadi wore. The loose fabric fell to his feet, pooling on the ground. Several rings adorned both hands and a long, heavy chain was draped around his neck, decorated with charms that looked as though they each weighed as much as the chain. Both ears were covered in metal studs. His hair, a color so light that it was almost white, was cropped short on one side, the other left to its own wild devices. The man's blue eyes lit with excitement as he smiled.

"Akira," Malik snapped, spitting the name out like he was a dragon breathing fire.

"Yes, that is my name," the man laughed. "You're rather observant for a spirit if you know that."

"Most of your kind don't deserve our attention," Malik spat.

"My kind? You mean demons?" the man asked.

"Yes! Now, tell us what the hell is going on!" Malik shouted.

"Do you really want to know or do you want to hear the answer you want?" Akira asked.

"Wait, he's a demon?" Yami asked, motioning to the man in front of them. "He looks like a human!"

"Demons have many forms, Pharaoh and it would be wise of you to remember that fact," Akira sighed. "Now, do you really want to know why you are here?"

Everyone nodded.

"You are here to play a little game with us," Akira said, smiling. "It's a fun game, a lot like your Duel Monsters, I believe you call it. My brother and I often play it, but sometimes, it gets boring playing against the same few demons over and over again."

"So you want a challenge?" Joey asked. "Well you got one!"

"Shut it mutt!" Seto hissed.

"That isn't the wisest thing to say, Mr. Kaiba. You have only two choices. Either you don't play and we leave you to wander this Limbo for the rest of eternity or you play and you may just make it out of here alive," another voice, higher than Akira's, said.

A second demon, almost identical to Akira except for being a few inches shorter in height, walked over to stand beside the first. His face was stern where Akira's was playful and his eyes flashed with cool annoyance.

"And you are-"

"-Tatsuya. I'm Akira's older brother," the second demon replied before Malik even finished speaking.

His gaze swept over the group of teenagers and landed on the smallest of them. The eyes darkened into a fierce glare, anger and hate dancing in them. Yugi met the harsh gaze with an emotionless stare of his own, but a strong feeling of dread flooded his body.

Dropping his eyes to the ground, Yugi fought to keep it under control. His breathe caught in his chest and his heart constricted as though it was being crushed. He coughed a few times, his throat feeling dry and sore. His body felt heavy and the scars that were hidden by his Khadim started to burn hotly. The bandaged leg shuddered, the knee faltering for a moment before snapping back into place. Images he'd rather forget rushed through his mind, splashing blood on everything he saw.

"What is the game?" Yami asked slowly.

"Pharaoh, I wouldn't-"

Holding up a hand, Yami cut Marik off without looking away from the two demons.

"What is the game?" he repeated.

Akira smiled and reached into a hidden pocket of his robes and pulled out a square case made of what appeared to be some sort of leather material. Flipping the top open, he slipped a deck of Duel Monsters cards into his open palm. He held it up, the spiral design on the back of the cards facing the duelists.

"Like I said, its very similar to Duel Monsters," the demon said. "Except there is one small twist."

From the deck, a few select cards rose up into the air, floating. Setting the case back into his pocket, Akira grabbed the floating cards and fanned them out before he twisted his wrist to show the gathering of duelists their contents.

"Dose cards have nothing on dem," Joey said.

"Exactly," Akira chuckled. "This is the twist."

"You use human souls as additional monster cards," Mokuba murmured.

The demon smiled and nodded. "Something like that. Since we're not actually in the Shadow Realm, you will be allowed to stay in your own bodies and your soul won't be banished if you lose, but, if your card is defeated, you'll still feel some physical discomfort. I vaguely remember a human who did something similar a few years ago, but he never used the souls in a game. A terrible decision on his part, I believe."

Mokuba shuddered. His memories of Duelist Kingdom were fragmented at best, especially during the time when Pegasus had sucked his soul out of his body, leaving him a mindless puppet. Everything from that time was blurry and he felt completely disconnected with the events of those few days, almost as though they never happened.

"You're asking us to put up our friends' as bait so that we can get back to the real world?" Yami spat.

Akira sighed, rolling his eyes. "If you want to be overly simple about it, then I guess that's what we're saying."

"What the hell makes you think we'd do that?" Marik asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You want to get out of here, don't you, or do you suddenly want to be stuck in Limbo for the rest of eternity?" Tatsuya sighed in annoyance.

Yugi and Yami glanced at each other. The taller one frowned, asking a silent question, to which his smaller counterpart nodded. They turned back to look at the demons and Yami took a step forward, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Fine, we'll play," he hissed.

"Excellent," Akira purred. "This will be two-on-two so pick wisely. The rest of you will wait on the sidelines until you're summoned and will split up between your two duelists. Tatsuya and I have our own souls to use."

"What the hell did you just do?" Seto snapped as the two demons walked away, whispering to each other.

"I want to get out of here, don't you?" Yami asked.

"Yes, but I'm not willing to put Mokuba's life on the line for you to play some stupid game," Seto muttered.

"Brother, we have to do something and playing by their rules seems to be the only way," Mokuba protested.

Seto rounded on his brother, anger flaring. "There is no way that I'm allowing you to participate, Mokuba!"

"We all have to play," Marik said calmly. "They won't accept anything less."

Yugi remained silent as Yami and Seto started to argue. His eyes trailed over to the two demons, who had their backs turned to him. He could see them exchanging a few of the blank cards, murmuring softly. Despite the fear that had settled in his heart, Yugi felt slightly curious about what the demons were planning. Clearly, they knew what they were doing or they would have never summoned them here.

"Yami and Kaiba will duel," Yugi said softly, ignoring the continuing argument that raged next to him.

"Are you sure, Yugi?" Marik asked, having been the only one to hear the smaller duelist's idea.

Nodding, Yugi glanced up at him and smiled weakly. "They have the most experience and I have a feeling that if we let anyone else do it, Kaiba would throw a fit."

Marik returned the smile and motioned for Odion to go break up the fight. As the big Egyptian pulled Joey, Yami, and Seto away from each other, Marik turned back to Yugi. A frown settled on his face as he watched the teen examine the demons. The expression on Yugi's face was completely devoid of emotion, a rare sight for anyone who'd ever seen the small duelist before. His normal happy-go-lucky attitude was gone and, in it's place, stood something that Marik couldn't quite name.

Finally, the three angry duelists broke apart and, after hearing Yugi's idea, both Yami and Kaiba walked over to take up their positions. Suddenly, white lines appeared on the ground, drawing themselves to form the battlefield. Yami chuckled as he removed the duel disk from his arm.

"I doubt we'll need these," he said as he set it by his feet.

Kaiba grumbled, but copied him before starting to shuffle his deck. As he straightened up, four cards appeared from nowhere, floating in front of him. With a snarl, he snatched them from the air and glanced at the names that had been written on them.

'Mokuba, Marik, Odion, and the brat? Why the hell did I get him?' Kaiba wondered, gritting his teeth.

He stared at the Yugi's card, eyebrows furrowing. The picture of Yugi that was featured there was different from the other three. It was blurry around the edges, making most of the picture fuzzy. The only part that was clear at all was Yugi's pale face.

Blinking a few times, Seto shook his head to clear it and snarled something under his breath. Adding the four new cards, he shuffled his deck again, mixing them in with trained ease. His steely eyes flicked up to the demons that stood on the other side of the battlefield. Both of them stood silent, waiting with their decks resting on some sort of invisible surface that Seto couldn't see.

"Just hold out your deck and let go," Yami whispered to him.

Seto shot him an angry glare, but followed his instructions. As soon as he let go, the deck floated into the air with ease, settling at just the right height for his six foot one stature.

"Shall we begin?" Tatsuya asked.

Both Yami and Seto nodded as they drew five cards each, fanning them out in their hands.

"Alright then, I'll start," Akira cackled.

Drawing a new card, he examined his hand carefully. His mind started to formulate a plan as he sneered at what he had. It was perfect.

* * *

Yugi watched the first few turns with intense interest. The game was played exactly the same as Duel Monsters: draw a card, play as many spells and traps as you want or one monster, and discard whatever you don't want. No one had played a soul card yet, only a monster each and an assortment of spell cards.

Finally, after the third round of turns, the first soul card was played. Akira drew from his deck and smirked as he flung the new card out onto the field. A bright light flooded the square and, from it, a small figure rose onto the field. The light quickly faded, leaving behind a tiny creature wrapped in a black cloak. From what Yugi could see, it was a boy, but his face and almost every other part of his body were obscured in shadows. Only his bare feet, which were covered in scratches and welts, could be seen.

"Ataullaha," Akira chuckled roughly.

Yugi blinked in surprise.

"Ataullaha?" Marik shouted, his mouth dropping open. "You have access to Ataullaha?"

The dark figure that was the infamous Lord of Insanity didn't move. He stared straight ahead at the monsters on the other side of the field

"That is the Lord of Insanity?" Yami asked, frowning. "He doesn't look like much."

"I can assure you that he is more than enough to take both of you out," Malik murmured.

Akira laughed and nodded as he shouted, "Mind Destruction!"

The tiny figure leapt towards Kaiba's Buster Blader (1), bringing one hidden arm back. With a swing, a thin hand shot out from the giant sleeve of the black cloak, hitting the swordsman in the forehead. The monster screamed as he shattered into a million pieces, the explosion pushing both Kaiba and Yami back a few inches. Ataullaha danced back to his spot on the other side of the field, his tiny hand slinking back into the sleeve of his cloak.

"What the fuck was dat?" Joey shouted from the sidelines.

"Ataullaha is one of the most powerful spirits of the Shadow Realm," Malik explained, "But until now, no one I've ever met has seen what exactly he can do."

"His powers reflect his name. He completely obliterates any monster, or person's, sanity with one touch," Akira said. "Your move, Pharaoh."

Yami shuddered as he stared at the cloaked figure. Something about him seemed oddly familiar. While he couldn't exactly place it, he knew that hand thin hand that had caused the fast and painful destruction of Kaiba's Buster Blader from somewhere.

Shaking his thoughts away, Yami drew a card from his deck and almost scowled. He didn't have anything that could contend with the raw power of the Lord of Insanity. In a moment of desperation, he set down a spell, but knew that it would do little.

Two rounds later saw Yami and Kaiba struggling. Both of them had lost a good number of Life Points and fighting to keep any monsters on the field. Ataullaha had given the demons the upper hand, effectively turning anything that either Yami or Kaiba summoned into rubble. His attacks were just too strong.

Sighing angrily, Kaiba practically ripped his next card from the deck. He was taken aback when he saw which card it was and the special effect that it had. Under any other circumstances, he would never use it, but this was not a moment to leave any paths unexamined. Snarling under his breath, he summoned it.

"Yugi," he spat.

The smallest duelist stared up at the CEO with shock. He had never expected Kaiba to have his card, let alone summon him. Slowly, he stepped onto the field; walking over to the square that Kaiba had thrown his card onto. He turned to face Ataullaha and their eyes met, even despite the shadows that cover the Lord of Insanity's.

Yugi's heart started to beat rapidly as another wave of pain spread through his body, starting with his pulsing leg. Hot and searing, it raced up the bandaged scars, twisting around the muscles as it made its way to his spine. A shiver ran up his spine as the pain jumped to his ribs, following the curve of the bones to his stomach. Under the belt around his neck, Yugi could feel a strange pressure start to compress his voice box. He coughed lightly, fighting to keep the pain from his face.

'Shit,' he silently cursed, clenching his teeth. 'Ataullaha's presence is making the Khadim weaken more.'

"What the hell are you doing, Kaiba?" Yami shouted, glaring at the other duelist. "There is no way-"

"-Shut up and let me turn the tide of the God forsaken duel," Kaiba hissed back. "Your move, demon."

Akira frowned at the tone of Kaiba's voice. It was more arrogant that usual, confidence ringing clearly though it.

"Zombie Dragon, attack!" the demon shouted.

Yugi's vision cleared just enough for him to see the giant dragon descend down on him. He smiled a little as it opened its jaws, a growl erupting from his throat. Suddenly, there was a flash of black and the dragon was thrown back, crashing to the ground on Akira's side of the battlefield.

"What the-"

Seto smirked down at the scene on the battlefield. Yugi's eyes were closed in a relaxed manner, unfazed by what had just happened. The black clad figure of Ataullaha was crouched in front of him, his thin, bony hand touching the ground. The Lord of Insanity turned his head to look up at Akira and the demon shuddered.

"Perhaps you should have read Ataullaha's card more carefully," Kaiba snickered.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"On Yugi's it said that any attack directed at him are defended by Ataullaha, the Lord of Insanity if he is also on the field and Ataullaha cannot attack him either," Kaiba laughed.

Everyone's attention turned to the two figures. Ataullaha hadn't moved, still crouched with his back to Yugi.

"But why?" Yami asked, staring at his hikari. "Yugi doesn't have anything to do with Ataullaha!"

Suddenly, Tatsuya, who had barely said anything since the beginning of the duel, started to laugh. It was wicked and dark, filled with some strange mix of amusement and anger.

"Brother?" Akira murmured.

"This is marvelous! I've finally found the one I've been looking for: Ataullaha's creator!" Tatsuya cackled.

"That's impossible!" Malik screamed.

"Nothing is impossible," Tatsuya sighed. "If he's not Ataullaha's creator, then tell me why the Lord of Insanity would protect your little friend here?"

"Yugi is a gentle, kind kid! There is no way that he could have anything to do with a monster like Ataullaha, let alone create him," Marik shot back. "Besides, creating a spirit in the Shadow Realm without dying first is unheard of. It requires something that most humans aren't prepared to do!"

Glancing down at his hikari, Yami met Yugi's gaze. His smaller counterpart had turned to look back at him, his mouth contorting into a small smile. Yami, without needing to ask, knew the answer.

Yugi opened his mouth to speak when blood trickled out of one corner, dropping from his chin to the ground.

"Yugi!"

He coughed a few times. His whole body shivered, the violent shudders finally breaking through his control. Finally, his right knee gave out and he fell, landing hard on it. He sat back, his thighs still touching while the rest of his legs were bent out at a 90-degree angle. More blood flowed freely from his mouth, flying from his lips to the ground with each violent cough that rocked his body.

"Let it go," Ataullaha whispered.

There was a sudden crack, like stone breaking and Yugi pitched forward, coughing again. His whole body tensed as something hard raced up his esophagus, erupting from his mouth in a river of blood. With a shaking hand, Yugi reached out and grabbed the small stone that rested in the pool on blood. He slowly pushed himself back, once again sitting in that pathetic position.

The stone was shaped like an oval and flat. It was no wider than Yugi's middle and pointer fingers together and no longer than the entire length of his thumb. Words written in some illegible script decorated both sides of the black stone, shining faintly as Yugi rocked it back and forth in his hand. With another soft crack, jagged lines appeared on it and the stone shattered into three pieces.

Yugi smiled down at the broken pieces of his Khadim. A strange sense of relief flooded his body as he stared at them. He knew that the next four to five days would be full of painful transitions for his body, but he also understood that the façade couldn't have continued any longer.

"It finally broke," he laughed. "It's over."

Without warning, Ataullaha's soul card flew up from its place on the battlefield, soaring high into the air. An aura of light surrounded it as the card fell quickly back to earth, landing on Kaiba's side of the field.

Thin arms wrapped around Yugi's neck and the small teen, leaned forward to bury his face in Ataullaha's shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he smelled the familiar scents that he had tried to forget: blood and silent tears.

On the sidelines, Odion noticed the tiny stone that fell from Yugi's hand. His eyes widened as he realized what it was. Tapping his brother on the shoulder, the giant man motioned towards the two tiny embracing figures.

"Look at them, brother. They are definitely not strangers," Odion murmured.

Ataullaha's the thin hand lifted and gently touched Yugi's hair, smoothing it back. At his touch, it flattened, the spikes melting into thick hunks that hung down to Yugi's thin shoulders. The black color that had tipped each spike dripped from the hair like ink, falling to Yugi's jacket, until only red was left. Ataullaha reached into his cloak and retrieved a small strand of leather. He carefully grabbed all of Yugi's suddenly long hair, pulling it back into a tight ponytail at the back of his head. With quick precision, he tied it with the leather string before he let his hands fall to his lap. Yugi smiled and shook his head a little, enjoying the feeling of his hair whip back and forth against his neck.

"And now his physical appearance is changing," Odion continued. "Yugi has been using a Khadim, brother."

"A Khadim?" Marik whispered, his voice so soft that it could barely be heard. "Those haven't been used for hundreds of years."

"That we know of," Odion replied.

"What is a Khadim?" Yami asked slowly, not taking his eyes away from his hikari and the black-clad figure of Ataullaha.

"It is a piece of obsidian that is endowed with magical properties, capable of changing the user's appearance and even some aspects of their personality," a harsh voice said.

Two thin hands reached up to pull back the hood of Ataullaha's cloak. Everyone gasped as the shadows retreated to reveal a young, but overly gaunt face. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old and his skin was a deathly pale. His red hair hung past his shoulders in greasy tendrils. It was crusted with mud in certain places, forming giant clumps. Dirt was woven through the blond bangs, turning them a dusky yellow color. A large bruise decorated one cheek. It was his eyes though that could strike fear into any man's heart. The purple depths were filled with a kind of anger that was so hot and wild that it couldn't be directed at just one person.

"Holy shit! He looks just like Yugi!" Joey screamed.

"That's because I am part of him!" Ataullaha spat.

"**Stop**. **They don't know anything**," Yugi whispered in Arabic, resting his forehead on Ataullaha's shoulder again.

Ataullaha looked hesitant, but gave in. "If you say so," he murmured.

Tatsuya smirked at the two boys. Digging into the pocket of his own robe, he felt the smooth texture of paper and yanked it out. Carefully, he unfolded the paper and glanced at the picture featured on it.

"I was wondering what kind of person would be born from a bloodbath like this," he sneered as he tossed the picture at Yugi.

The paper easily floated into the teen's waiting lap. Unfolding it, Yugi took a quick glance at the picture and recoiled. He growled low in his throat and crumbled the picture in his fist.

"How did you get that?" he asked, voice full of venom.

"Your aunt," Tatsuya admitted.

Yugi's eyes snapped up to him, full of terror.

"M-my aunt," he repeated quietly. "S-She is the one who sent you?"

Tatsuya nodded.

"Brother, what the hell are you talking about?" Akira asked, walking over to Tatsuya. "You said that we were going to summon them to Limbo for some fun."

"Aye, that is true, but I had a deep motive," Tatsuya said. "My mistress summoned me earlier today by means of a Demon Mirror and said that I should look for Ataullaha's creator."

"Your mistress? You don't have one!" Akira shouted.

"Oh yes, I do," Tatsuya smirked. "You'd be surprised by how powerful the Muto family is in terms of having a connection with the Shadow Realm. Just look at him. He created a powerful spirit at the age of nine, if I'm correct, and his aunt just happens to be a demon summoner."

Yugi clutched Ataullaha's cloak and he squeezed his eyes shut. Even though he was awake, two years worth of nightmares were fighting for dominance in his head. Ataullaha wrapped a thin arm around his shoulders as he positioned himself between Yugi and the two demons. He growled at Tatsuya, who smiled.

"Is that a challenge, Lord of Insanity?" the demon asked, taking a step forward

Leaving his post, Yami walked onto the battlefield, power radiating from him. The Millennium Puzzle around his neck glowed softly.

"Leave them be," Yami hissed.

"Calm down, Pharaoh," Tatsuya sighed, throwing up his hands. "I was just kidding around. I can't do anything without my mistress here."

"Then what do you want?" Yugi asked.

"My mistress asked me to find you and break your Khadim. She said that she didn't appreciate you having one," the demon said, shrugging.

A flash of pain raced up Yugi's back, breaking the skin. He could feel the warm blood start to trickle down his skin. Gritting his teeth, he nodded.

"I know that."

"Take this as a warning, kid," Tatsuya said, grabbing Akira's wrist. "She won't be as kind as me when you see her next."

In a flash of light, the two demons disappeared. The black mist around them started to shudder and shiver as the shadows collapsed in on themselves. Tea screamed as Yugi and Ataullaha hugged one last time. The world exploded in blinding light.

Slowly, everyone's sight started to return. The vibrant color of Kaiba's metal garden poured into their eyes as they blinked, looking around them. They were back in the real world and both Malik and Ataullaha were gone. Both Kaiba's and Yami's decks fell to the ground, the cards spilling all over the place.

Yugi was still sitting on the ground, the shards of his Khadim lying in front of him. Slowly, he pushed himself up onto all fours and grabbed the obsidian pieces. Using any remaining strength he had, Yugi stood, grabbing his knees for support. When he was standing up straight, he turned to look at Yami with sad eyes.

The Pharaoh rushed over just in time to grab Yugi as his knees buckled and he collapsed. Yugi gripped his jacket tightly, struggling to retain his balance.

"I need to go home," the small teen murmured. "I need to go home."

Huffing at the depressing display, Kaiba strode over to them and grabbed Yugi from Yami's grip. Hoisting the tiny form up into his arms, Kaiba carried him towards the gate. Yami, who was about to protest, closed his mouth and silently followed when he saw Yugi settle comfortably in Kaiba's grasp. Everyone else fell into line behind him, all shocked in silence.

"You owe us all an explanation, brat," Kaiba snarled as he motioned for one of the guards that came running towards them.

* * *

Well, there you have it. More secrets revealed, more things yet to be explored. Hopefully, it wasn't too much of a jumbled mess or too over the top. Any questions you have will hopefully be clarified in the next chapter or two. They will be super important. This was the longest chapter I've ever written for .

(1) I can't remember for the life of me what other cards Kaiba has other than Blue Eyes and the Three-headed Blue Eyes so bear with me.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: King of Pain

The ride to the Kame Game Shop was silent. Everyone had crammed themselves into Kaiba's two cars with Yugi lying on the floor of one of them. Yami had tried to get his hikari to come up onto the seat, but Yugi had refused and, whenever anyone tried to touch him, he would shy away. It didn't help that he was shuddering in pain throughout the ride, knifing Yami straight in the heart. He felt every emotion, every ounce of agony that his smaller counterpart went though. Even some of Yugi's memories, thoughts, and nightmares made it through the wall that had blocked Yami from the horrors that Yugi had tried to forget. By the time they arrived, he was ready to vomit and had to stumble out of the car first to heave up bile in the gutter.

Seto watched them the entire time. He stared at Yami by means of the rear view mirror from his seat on the passenger's side. Jealousy he'd never felt before banged in his chest, roaring in his ears. They were close, like brothers, but in an intimate way that few people in the whole world have experienced. Did he want it for himself? No, he didn't think so. Seto wanted something different, although he wasn't quite clear on what it was.

Yugi slowly got out of the car after Yami, every move deliberately taken to keep himself from falling. He got lucky, as they'd pulled up to the shop in between the waves of pain and he was able to walk inside, even if Seto was barely a step behind him. Solomon leapt up from his spot behind the counter as soon as he saw his grandson.

"**What the hell happened**?" he asked frantically.

Yugi uncurled his fingers, revealing the broken shards of the Khadim. Closing his eyes for a moment, Solomon nodded once in understanding.

"**What have you told them**?" he murmured.

"**Nothing**," Yugi replied softly.

"**Adil will be here in a few minutes. I sent Indi to pick him up at the airport**," his grandfather explained.

"**Okay. I need to lay down**," Yugi practically hissed in pain.

"**Do you need help getting upstairs**?"

Yugi slowly shook his head, his long red hair flopping in his face, and motioned to the group that has assembled behind him.

"I understand," Solomon said in Japanese.

As Yugi made his way towards the stairs, Solomon stepped between him and the others. Yami sent him a silent glare, but the older man didn't falter.

"It's going to be a rough few days so it's best to just leave him alone for now," he said.

"Because of the Khadim?" Marik asked.

Solomon nodded. "That and other things."

"What about the Khadim?" Yami asked.

"When a Khadim breaks, the user basically goes through withdrawal as the body changes back to its original form," Odion explained.

"How drastic were the changes to Yugi's?" Marik inquired.

"The basics are the same, but-" Solomon trailed off. He took a deep breath before he continued, "I'd better explain some things first."

"Yes, you do owe a big explanation. It isn't often that during the middle of an important event, demons suddenly summon you to Limbo for a game just to find out that they were sent there by one particular person's aunt to fuck with his mind," Seto growled.

"Kaiba," Yami hissed in warning.

"Is that what happened?" Solomon asked.

Everyone nodded and the gray-haired man sighed. "Come upstairs. Yugi will have barricaded himself in his room by now."

They followed Solomon up the stairs and into the living room. While they assembled themselves on the couch and the floor around it, the older Muto pulled a chair over from the small dining table that stood in the corner. Before he could take a seat though, he disappeared into the hall and came back with a large wooden box. It was made of dark mahogany wood that shone faintly in the light. A large lock made of brass hung on the front of it, clicking softly as it bumped against the wood of the box's body. Yami stood to help, but Solomon shooed him away. Setting the box down on the coffee table, Solomon settled onto the chair he'd brought over.

"So, who wants to explain what happened, in full detail this time?"

It was Marik who chose to tell the story of everything that had happened earlier that evening. Solomon listened in silence, never interrupting. His full attention was focused on this new information and only when Marik had finished did he settle back in his chair. He was about to speak when they heard the faint sound of a bell ringing, followed by frantic footsteps pounding up the stairs

"Indi and Adil are here," Solomon said as the two people burst into the room.

Adil was a tall man, as gaunt as a rail and as unnoticeable as a clover in a sea of grass. His hair was cropped short and a deep black color, although it lacked the shine of any healthy head. Despite being only twenty-five, he sported many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was dressed in a plain pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt with brown sandals.

"**Where is he**?" Adil asked, repositioning the bag on his shoulder.

"**Bedroom, second door on the right**," Solomon replied.

With a nod, the man was gone, his long strides taking him down the hall and into the darkness. When the door to Yugi's bedroom closed, Solomon turned back to the duelists assembled in front of him. Indi threw them suspicious stares as stalked around the edge of the room and stopped just behind her grandfather's chair. Her black sunglasses rested on top of her head, pulling the short waves of blue hair away from her face.

"What happened today and everything that I am about to tell you must remain a secret just between us," Solomon said slowly.

"Can you all promise me that?" Indi asked, cutting in.

"Who are you?" Seto snarled.

Indi crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowing into a fierce glare. "What's it to you?"

"This is Indigo, Yugi's cousin," Solomon sighed. "Indi, these are Yugi's friends so be nice."

The young woman snorted, but stayed quiet.

"Do you all agree to not tell anyone about what you're going to hear today?" her grandfather asked.

Everyone nodded and Solomon leaned forward, turning the wooden box so it faced him. He pulled on the cord that hung from his neck, revealing a tiny key that he kept hidden under his shirt. Unlocking the box, he carefully let the lid fall back, revealing the contents of the box. A mess of photos, newspaper clippings and other mementos littered the inside, creating a collogue of colors and shapes.

"I've been meaning to sort through this for years, but since I took over the shop again, I haven't had much time," Solomon murmured as he dug around through the assortment of papers. "Ah, here we are."

He set a large 8 by 10 photo on the table, tapping the image lightly with his finger.

"This was taken in the spring of 1992, just after my youngest daughter graduated from high school. My wife and I had four children: Yumi, Nishi, Tsubasa, and Saimei," Solomon started.

"Which one is Yumi?" Marik asked.

Solomon pointed to the figure on the far left side of the picture. She was tall for a Muto, standing at about five foot six. Her hair was a deep brown color, almost like chocolate, and it was cropped harshly at her chin in a bob. Lilac eyes stared somewhat angrily at whoever was taking the picture. She stood with her back straight, hands clasped in front of her, the epitome of arrogance.

"She was the eldest, a year ahead of Nishi and Tsubasa, who were twins. Tsubasa is also Indi's father."

It was clear that Nishi and Tsubasa were fraternal twins. Nishi had dark eyes, a serious, but kind face, and short, black hair. His brother, on the other hand, had the same lilac irises as Yumi, a cheerful smile, and sandy brown hair. Tsubasa had one arm thrown over his twin's shoulders, leaning almost his entire weight on Nishi.

"Then, there is Saimei, the youngest by five years and Yugi's mother."

Seto almost gasped when his gaze flickered over to the last of the Muto children. Saimei was almost identical to Yugi in nearly every way. She was shorter than any of her siblings, standing at probably close to Indi's height of four foot ten. Her hair was a deep shade of red and the ponytail that it was pulled into was flung casually over one shoulder so it cascaded down her front. Small hands rested on small hips, a playful smile tugging at her mouth. Even her face was the same shape, although her cheeks were slightly more tapered. It was her eyes, though, that had everyone shocked. They were the startlingly clear Tyrion purple that Yugi's had, a color rarely used since the days of medieval royalty.

"See the resemblance, huh?" Solomon laughed quietly. "I loved all of my children, but I was closest to Saimei. She was the baby of the family, happy, playful, and always getting into trouble. Even when she was in high school, she would always have some adventure to go on. Knowing her, I shouldn't have been so surprised when, a month after graduation, she left us a note stating that she wanted to travel the world and disappeared."

"She just left?" Mai asked, frowning.

Solomon nodded and smiled a little. "That was how Saimei was. She would just vanish and, if you didn't find her, you just had to wait for her to come back to you."

"Did you ever see her again?" Yami asked.

"Yes. She came home about two years later with a one-month-old Yugi in tow. I don't know who his father is so don't ask. That, I believe, was a secret that Saimei took to her grave, if she even knew," Solomon sighed.

"So Yugi wasn't born in Japan?" Yami asked.

"Oh no, he was. Saimei traveled to Hokkaido a few months before and gave birth to Yugi in some small clinic in Hokkaido. However, it took her a month to work up the courage to come back to Domino."

Solomon took a deep breath and continued.

"The night that Saimei came home, she left Yugi with a friend of her's. She wasn't quite ready to introduce us to our newest grandson just yet. Unfortunately, that night, she and I got into a heated argument over something that I can't even remember anymore and I basically walked out of her life completely."

"The family became fragmented in the years that followed. Saimei and I refused to see or talk to each other while my wife played an active role in Yugi's childhood, often watching him when Saimei was working. Tsubasa and his wife, now ex-wife, had had Indi the year before and were living in the United States, while Nishi had remained in England practicing law. He's studied at Oxford, you see. He also had a wife and two sons so he rarely came back to Japan. Yumi was the only one who remained, but she had a son of her own and a terrible relationship with her husband, who she divorced two years after Saimei came home."

"What about Yugi?" Yami quietly asked.

"I didn't see him until Saimei's funeral when he was seven and, even then, I didn't talk to him."

Indi shuffled somewhat uncomfortably behind her grandfather's chair.

"After the argument, I busied myself setting up and running the shop here. A year had passed when I heard that Saimei get a contract with a big recording studio out of Tokyo. Have you ever heard the song Aka Sora?"

"Of course, it was practically the theme song for the late 90's," Tea laughed.

Reaching into the box, Solomon retrieved a CD case, sliding it across the table towards the group of teenagers.

"That was Yugi's mom?" Joey cried. "You're telling us dat Sai, the musical goddess of the 90's, was Yugi's mom?"

"She was," Solomon murmured. "Saimei had always been a great singer. She participated in choir all the way from elementary to high school and, after she came back, she took to playing in nightclubs for tips. Some big shot heard her and gave her the contract."

"Wasn't Sai murdered?"

Everyone turned to look at Tristan, who was frowning heavily. Solomon almost groaned at hearing the dreaded word, but fought it back and nodded.

"She was. A few weeks after Yugi turned seven, she was in her bedroom getting dressed. It was believed that someone broke into the house, a crazed fan or something like that. Yugi had come into the room just as Saimei was shot in the head point blank," he said.

He quickly pulled a folded piece of newspaper from the box. He unraveled it and lay it out on the table for them to see. The date was July 6th, 2001 and the headline read: Sai Found Dead.

"So, he watched her die?" Seto asked.

"Yes. When they were found, he had blood all over his face and clothes from the spray of the bullet exiting the back of Saimei's head."

"Did he identify the killer?" Tea wondered.

"No. He told the police that he couldn't remember anything about him or her. The killer had hit him in the side of the head with the gun so it wasn't all that surprising that he couldn't remember parts of what happened," Solomon explained.

"After my parents divorced when I was three, my father and I came to live in Japan for a while. We stayed with Aunt Saimei and Yugi and I became best friends," Indi suddenly said. "Her death affected Yugi very badly. They had been very close, abnormally so considering her career. She would take him on tour with her sometimes and her death, coupled with Grandma's a year earlier, broke Yugi's spirit. I'd never seen him so sad before. The funeral was a nightmare."

"And that was the first time I ever saw Yugi," Solomon sighed.

"Did he come to live with you then?" Mokuba asked.

Solomon shook his head. "Unfortunately no. In her will, Saimei had drawn out a list of people to take Yugi in if anything ever happened to her, the order being whomever she wanted him to go to the most. The first person on the list was her sister, Yumi. Nishi was second and I was third."

Seto's heart skipped a beat. He could tell that this story was only going to get worse than it already was.

"What a piece of shit that turned into," Indi hissed. "Yu wouldn't even need the Khadim if it wasn't for her."

"What did she do to him?" Yami asked.

"A fucking lot," the blue-haired young woman snarled.

"She beat and starved him," Solomon said sadly.

"E-Excuse me?" Yami stammered.

"It was more like she mauled him, Grandpa! His back was in shreds when he was found!" Indi snapped.

"How long did this go on?" Marik asked.

"A year and a half, but the last two weeks was the worst."

"Why didn't anyone notice? If it's as bad as you say, someone would have-"

"-She pulled him out of school so there wouldn't be anyone to notice. Also, remember that our family was spread out all over the world. Tsubasa and Indi had moved back to America and I wasn't a part of Yugi's life at all. As well, Yumi had gotten divorced and gave up all custodial rights to her son. She and Yugi were the only ones in the house and he was denied all contact with the outside world. There was no one to notice," Solomon sighed.

Although no emotion showed on his face, Seto was furious. When his adoptive father had been alive, Seto had faced emotional abuse from the older man. His concept of an ideal heir had been forced onto Seto's shoulders and the teen had fought to reach it. If he didn't do whatever his adoptive father wasn't, he would get smacked around. It had turned him into the cold, ruthless man he was today, even though he'd never gotten his father's approval.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of shuffling papers. Solomon was digging through the box again, his entire upper arm buried in its contents. Finally, it emerged with a thin envelope, the kind used for important documents that couldn't be bent.

"These might help you understand," the gray-haired man said as he opened the flap and pulled out several pictures.

The group recoiled when the older Muto lay the first one out for them to see. A young boy had his back turned towards them, revealing the lacerations that covered it. They were all old enough to have at least healed over somewhat so dark red scabs crisscrossed his back. Most, however, had scarred, permanently marring the pale skin. In between each of the protruding ribs was a cut that cleanly raced around the curve of his body, its end hidden from view. Each vertebra of his spine could be clearly seen, starting at the base of his neck, all the way down to the line of his jeans. The boy's shoulder length red hair was pulled over one shoulder.

Each photo that followed was just as gruesome. At one point, Tea had to walk away to keep herself from vomiting. The child's chest was surprisingly clear of scars except for the continuation of the lines between his ribs. However, the concave nature of his stomach was more than obvious.

In another, the child had his head tipped back to give the camera a better look at the scar that cut across the front of his neck, just below his voice box. It was angry and red, the raw skin having been peeled away by some sort of rope.

The final picture was of the child's right leg. His loose jeans had been rolled up to reveal a series of ugly burns that started just above his ankle. Each one was separate from the other, the distance between them precisely calculated to be exactly half an inch apart. They were draped across his skin, knee and thigh like fabric, following the curve of the tiny bones and muscles that made up the child's leg. All of the burns were fresh, dated to be the same age as the newest scars on the child's back and the cuts between the ribs.

"She always used the same whip on his back. It's called a cat-o'-nine-tails and it was used as a torture device in the 1700's," Solomon explained. "The scars between his ribs were made by a chef's knife."

"What about the burns?" Yami asked quietly.

"She poured alcohol in stripes over his leg and lit each one with a lighter," Solomon replied.

Seto, realizing that he'd been sitting forward with his elbows on his knees, casually sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. He stole a glance at Yami. The Pharaoh had his eyes closed, a pained expression rising on his face.

"Yami, are you okay?" Tristan asked, looking back at his friend.

Suddenly, a door opened and all of them, except Yami, turned to see Adil walking towards them. He was carrying a small package of roots in one hand and, as he got closer, they could all see flecks on blood on his white shirt.

"**It's started?"** Solomon asked.

"**Unfortunately. I had to remove the belt on his neck, which he got pretty upset about,"** Adil replied. **"I'm going to give him some valerian root to calm him down."**

"**Good luck," **Solomon sighed.

Adil nodded as he headed for the kitchen. Two pairs of eyes, owned by the only other two that had understood every word he'd said, followed him.

"**What has started and who is he?"** Marik asked.

Solomon's attention snapped back to him. Marik smiled at the shocked look on the old man's face.

"**My first language is Arabic. You might want to pick a different one if you want to keep secrets from us," **the blond said, smiling.

"**My name is Adil Nejem. I'm the one who created Yugi's Khadim,"** Adil murmured as he entered the living room with a glass of water in one hand.

After a silent nudge from Joey, Marik translated what Adil had said.

"**I need to get back. Yugi's Khadim withdrawal is going to be a bloody affair," **Adil said. **"The scars are basically breaking through the skin and reopening themselves. It's going to be painful."**

Yami hissed in pain as the blond Egyptian next to him translated.

"I can tell," he moaned, letting his head rest on the back of the couch.

Seeing Indi's confused frown, Marik quickly said, "The spirits in the Millenium Items share any physical pain that we, the hikaris, have. Yugi is the Pharaoh's hikari."

"How did Yugi get away from her then?" Seto asked, moving the conversation back to its original topic.

"About a year and a half after he came to live with her, she boarded up the house and abandoned him. He was locked inside without any food and several open wounds, including the ones on his sides. Two weeks passed before a neighbor called the police to investigate. The house is on the outskirts of town so the lots are big and the closest neighbor lived half a block away. That was how they found him: bleeding and emaciated," Solomon murmured, motioning to the pictures.

"He was so weak that he couldn't even walk. The officer that found him had to carry him out of that hellhole and a nurse had to hold him up to get those pictures taken. It took months to get him to a healthy weight with all of the health deficiencies he had," Indi added.

"It was also those two weeks in the darkness that Yugi created Ataullaha," Solomon said.

"How do you know of his existence, then?" Marik asked, very interested.

"I will get to that later. After his stay in the hospital, he went to live with my eldest son, Nishi, in England," Solomon continued. "He was apparently a quiet kid before Yumi got her hands on him, but afterward-"

"-He was completely different," Indi cut in. "Cold and way of everyone. He shied away from all adults, especially women, but other kids as well, even me a bit. Sure, he regularly attended meetings with a child psychologist, but it didn't really do him any good. It wasn't until the end of his first and only year with Uncle Nishi that he opened up to anyone and, of course, that too was torn away from him by Aunt Yumi."

"Roughly thirteen months after Yugi went to live with Nishi, they were walking back from Nishi's office law one night when they were attacked. Nishi was killed in the same manner that Saimei was and we've since learned that it was Yumi who murdered them both. Yugi escaped physically unscathed, but mentally and emotionally, any progress that had been made was completely wiped out," Solomon said.

"S-She struck again? I thought she hated him. Why the hell would she do that to someone who she clearly wanted nothing to do with?" Yami cried.

Indi and Solomon exchanged a glance.

"Yumi was... always very jealous of her younger sister. Even when they were kids, Yumi would avoid anything to do with Saimei. After her divorce, Yumi was forced to live with Saimei at her home in the country, the same one in which she later murdered her sister and abused her nephew. That close of contact was absolute hell for her and she never forgave Saimei for it. It was her jealousy that drove her to kill Saimei," Solomon explained.

"Then what about Yugi?" Seto asked. "You still haven't explained that."

"Yumi left behind a journal when she fled from the house that she locked Yugi in. According to it, she knew that in order to make the murder work with the story that she concocted, Yugi had to remain alive. However, she didn't count of being declared Yugi's guardian and only took him in because it would have seemed suspicious to the rest of the family. To make matters worse, Yugi was the light of Saimei's life, the center of everything she ever did, and Yumi's anger towards her sister passed onto him. It also didn't help that the resemblance is uncanny between Yugi and his mother," Solomon sighed.

"He told me once that she believes that he has to pay for the sins of his mother since he is the only part of her that is still alive," Indi said.

"So she killed her own brother to emotionally incapacitate the nephew that she had abused and abandoned?" Marik murmured.

Indi and Solomon both nodded.

"Yumi wasn't close with Uncle Nishi or Dad, either and felt no qualms about killing one of them," the blue-haired young woman said.

"This is pretty heavy stuff," Joey whispered.

"Yugi's whole life has practically been one huge fucking mess," Indi sighed.

"Was it after Nishi's death that he came to live with you?" Marik asked Solomon.

"Yes and it was then that I learned about the existence of Ataullaha. He was, back then, the same as your dark side, Marik. If Yugi got into a situation that was too stressful for him, Ataullaha would take over," Solomon said. "I was living at my wife's ancestral home in southwestern Egypt and, on the day that Yugi arrived, I went to greet him. Seeing me must have brought back the memories of his mother's death and he reverted to Ataullaha, refusing to have anything to do with me."

"How then, did he come to be stuck in the Shadow Realm?" Marik asked. "That just sounds like Multiple Personality Disorder. He didn't have the Millenium Puzzle at the time, did he?"

"Spirits of the Shadow Realm are created in two ways. The first is through the sacrifice of a soul. Yami, Bakura, and any of the other spirits of the Millenium Items were created through this method. Ataullaha, however, is one of the few that was created by the second method: the complete and total acceptance of death."

"When he was abandoned by Yumi, Yugi knew that he was going to die and he came to accept it whole heartedly. It put him in connection with the Shadow Realm, which took all of the parts of his personality and spirit that he had thrown away in order to survive. Thus, Ataullaha was created from those forgotten parts. Atauallah was, just as with Yami and Bakura, allowed to leave the Shadow Realm only to take over Yugi's body in certain instances."

"However, that stopped not long after Yugi came to live with me. In hindsight, Egypt was the best place for Yugi to be raised. There were few people around in our village and those that were there were all friendly and extremely helpful."

"For the first year and a half, my relationship was Yugi was very rocky. Ataullaha made frequent appearances during this time Slowly though, he learned to trust me and the others, as well. After Seyton, Ataullaha left complete, sealing himself away in the Shadow Realm. He knew that Yugi no longer needed him."

"Seyton?" Yami asked, frowning up at Indi.

Rifling around in the box, Solomon retrieved another picture, brushing the others to the side. It was of a giant stallion, at least sixteen hands tall. His coat was a bright red, as were his tail and mane. Cuffs of black adorned his legs directly over the hooves, the only break in the shimmering color. Along his hindquarters were five long, jagged scars.

"Yugi's horse," Solomon said.

"Yugi rides horses?" Joey asked incomplete disbelief.

"He's one of the best I've ever seen," Solomon laughed. "He's more of a trainer though, specializing in abused horses. It's therapeutic for him and he has a connection with them that no one I know has ever seen before. He says that it is because he understands what they went through and they know it. Among the trainers in Egypt, he's called the Lord of Horses."

"He was a wild, fierce animal and refused to let anyone ride him. After two days, Seyton let Yugi onto his back," Indi added. "It was training Seyton that brought Yugi out of his shell. The first time I saw him smile after the whole fucking nightmare with Yumi was when he rode Seyton for the first time."

"I had no idea," Joey murmured.

"Not even I did," Yami said.

"If Yugi was doing so well, then why did he need the Khadim?" Seto asked.

They all turned their attention back to Solomon.

"Because of his childhood, Yugi suffers from nightmares like you wouldn't even believe. They prevent him from sleeping, leaving him too afraid to even close his eyes. About two years ago, we discovered that the lack of sleep was hurting his body. He was, and still is, recovering from the damage that Yumi did to him. As well, I believe that Yugi wanted for there to be a time when he looked in the mirror and didn't have to be constantly reminded of what his aunt did to him."

"Adil was a close family friend and we knew that he was one of the last Khadim carvers. He agreed to make one for Yugi. It was designed to keep the majority of his physical features, the height, etcetera, but eliminate the scars. A few more changes were added so that no one would recognize him. In his true form, he looks a lot more like Saimei than he does with the Khadim."

"It also brought out some of the forgotten parts of his personality, those that he gave up to Ataullaha. That is where his signature happy-go-lucky attitude came from."

"So he's going to be very different from the Yugi we know?" Tristan wondered.

Indi shrugged. "It depends on how you look at it. If you wanted to be purely superficial, then yes, he will be very different. He'll be more subdued, talk less, and may even be a bit standoffish with people he's never before. However, the rest of him will be the same and if you can't look past the happy-go-lucky, then you aren't-"

"-Indigo, calm down!" Solomon growled. "Just trust them."

The young woman that stood behind him huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Her violet eyes narrowed into a fierce glare that was directed at the group assembled around the couch.

"Sorry. Indi is very protective of her cousin. They're like siblings," Solomon sighed, throwing a short glance back at his granddaughter.

"It's understandable," Mokuba murmured, speaking for the first time.

"So what happens now?" Tristan asked.

Solomon settled back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"Yugi will go through the withdrawal. It's too late to save the Khadim and there is no reason to make another way. Afterwards, it'll all be up to him whether or not he wants to stay. More likely than not, he'll want to go back to Egypt where he feels safest."

Seto's gaze traveled from the old man over to the dark hall that led towards the bedrooms. His eyes narrowed as the shadows seemed to leer at him, laughing at the pain and suffering that emanated from it. While Kaiba couldn't feel it in the same way that Yami could, he knew it was there and it scared him unlike anything else he'd faced in a long time.

* * *

A/N: Seyton is pronounced the same at Satan. It is a character from Shakespeare's . 14 pages! Awesome! A lot went on in that chapter.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Cover Me

In the days that followed, Seto found himself unable to focus, even at work. His thoughts were filled with the possibilities of the future for one small duelist. He didn't like to admit that Yugi Muto was the only thing that had his attention, but after four wasted afternoons, he gave up on fighting the thoughts.

Around three o'clock on the fourth day, Seto was sitting at his desk, hands clasped in his lap as his mind drifted through the fog that had filled it for over half a week. Sighing in defeat, he stood and grabbed his briefcase. He roughly threw a few papers inside and slammed it closed. With a quick note to his secretary to clear his schedule for the weekend, Seto took off for home.

The Kaiba mansion was quiet, as he had expected. Mokuba would have normally been home by now, but since the botched finals two days earlier, the younger Kaiba had taken to spending time with Yugi's group of friends. Seto assumed it was for comfort of some kind. Mokuba had always respected Yugi and even liked him to a degree. The revelations that Solomon had unmasked for them had shaken the young teenager to his core.

Seto snarled as the bloody images resurfaced. Storming towards his home office, he slammed the door open and threw his briefcase on the desk. Throwing himself into the desk chair, he plopped his feet up on the wood surface of the desk, kicking off his shoes. His fingernails dug into the arms of the chair, cutting into the leather.

He had in no way, had the greatest childhood. His biological parents had been kind to him and Mokuba, but they had died too early for Seto –or Mokuba- to remember much of them. The people at the orphanage had been nice enough, but it wasn't the same. They weren't parents, just temporary guardians. Then old man Kaiba had come along and he was a true demon. His expectations had worn Seto down to a manipulative, cold person. Now, Seto had no problem with being that way. It was his nature now, but after seeing the damage that had been inflicted on Yugi by other people of a similar attitude, he didn't want to act that way towards the small duelist any longer.

Sighing in regret, he rubbed his forehead with the base of his palm. Suddenly, the bang of the front door knocked him out of his thoughts. Standing, he walked out of the room and to the railing of the stairs. Mokuba ran through the foyer, rushing towards the kitchen. The remainder of Yugi's group of friends were standing by the door, looking slightly lost.

After the length explanation of Yugi's bloody childhood, Solomon had kicked all of them out of his apartment and closed the shop. Not even Yami had been spared, forced to stay at Joey's. Seto leaned against the railing, his steel gray eyes focusing on Yugi's taller counterpart. The man was favoring his left leg, a clear indication of his continued connection to his hikari. Although the pain was not nearly as strong, Yami could still feel every slight ache that Yugi had.

"Welcome," Seto said calmly.

The group of duelists looked up at him, surprised. He smirked and descended the stairs, turning to head towards the kitchen.

"Coming?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

They slowly took off their shoes and followed him. Mokuba was sitting up at the counter, his feet swinging between the legs of tall barstool. Sadness was etched into his face, his hands clenched in his lap. As he passed, Seto quickly ruffled his hair before taking the seat next to his brother.

"Any news?" he asked no one in particular.

Marik shook his head. "Nothing. I went back two days ago and knocked, but Indi shooed me away. She said that she would call when it was all over."

"No idea on how long?"

"Not really. Why do you care so much?"

Seto didn't reply, quickly standing. He strode out of the kitchen in the direction of the stairs. His younger brother shot him a sideways glance, but he ignored it. Even if he had given up on fighting his thoughts about Yugi Muto, he wasn't going to admit it to anyone else.

Storming up the stairs, he made his way back to his study and was just about to sit down when the ringing of a cellphone reached his ears. He spun around and walked back to the railing of the stairs, looking down into the foyer. Marik was speaking to whoever was on the other end in frantic Arabic.

'Probably the brat's cousin,' he thought as Marik shouted one final word before hanging up.

He ran out into the foyer, grabbing his shoes from where they lay next to the door. Odion and the others were not far behind.

"Are you coming, brother?" Mokuba asked as the others dashed out through the front door, their shoes only half on.

Sighing to himself, Seto nodded and jogged down the steps to join his brother.

* * *

Indigo was waiting from them at the park closest to the Kame Game Shop. She sat on her Kawasaki, her dark blue hair a contrast to the vast greenery of the park's vegetation. Her lilac eyes flicked to the group of duelists as they approached. Sitting back, she examined each one closely. They were all worried, although no more than Yami. He looked to be in a full panic, his steps fast and careless. He almost tripped on a crack in the sidewalk, but quickly righted himself and took up his quick pace again.

Her gaze moved to the large form that sauntered at the back of the group. Indi cocked her head a little to the side, her eyes narrowing slightly. Kaiba had his hands in his pockets, the silver jacket flowing out behind him. His face was a mask of cold indifference as he met her gaze, brown eyes hard. Indi gave him a quick nod of complete understanding. His eyes formed a pair of glaring slits, but he said nothing.

"It's over?" Yami asked, hands clenched at his sides.

Indi flicked her eyes back to him and smiled a little. "The transformation is," she replied. "However, there is much more to still be done."

"More?" Yami groaned.

Indi nodded. "Yugi has gone back to Egypt. He and Grandpa left his morning."

"What? And he didn't think to tell us?" Tristan cried.

"Yugi didn't want you to know where he was going," Indi explained.

"But you do," Seto hissed.

"Yes, I do. I know my cousin better than probably anyone else in the whole world, much more than Grandpa or any other of our relatives," Indi sighed. "The reality is that he is very cautious, even around our family, but you lot-" she motioned to all of them- "Have his full trust, gaining it in under two years."

"And your point is?" Marik asked.

"Yugi and I grew up together. We're only seven months apart in age. After he was rescued from that hellhole that was our Aunt's house, the first person he asked to see was me, but even then, it took me nearly four years to regain his complete trust."

"What do you mean by his complete trust?" Seto asked.

"He doesn't want you to see the scars. Your opinion of him matters that much. Yugi cares little for what people think of him, except for those that he trusts with every part of his being," Indi answered. "He ran away because he didn't want any of you to know what had really happened."

Stunned into silence, the duelists exchanged glances. Yami's face fell into despair as he met Indi's eyes, the truth of the matter apparent in the lilac depths.

"So what now?" Marik asked.

"We go after him," Indi said casually.

"Are you crazy? There is no way-"

"-The travel is easy as long as you can lead us to him. I have a jet we can use," Seto cut in, glancing at Indi.

The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded.

"Showing of your wealth, Kaiba?" Joey spat.

"Shut your mouth mutt or I'll retract the offer," Seto snarled back.

"Cut it out, you two. Yugi is more important," Yami snapped, walking over to stand between the two. "Thank you for the offer, Kaiba."

Seto snorted to himself and crossed his arms over his chest. As he watched Yami quietly warn Joey to calm his temper, his mind drifted back to the tiny young man that had filled his thoughts for days. Yugi Muto was an enigma, a strange creature that Seto had a hard time understanding. His morals, his attitude towards other people, it was completely foreign to him. Running away, however, was not a new concept to Seto. He had thought about it more than his fair share of times. Now, all they needed to do was find him.

* * *

Sorry I know this was very short, but it was necessary. My updates may become more sporadic than ever with the new semester starting, but hopefully I will be able to update soon.


	12. Chapter 11: Desert Rose

**A/N: Thank you to Neko Kyuketsuki HyuugaUchiha for inspiring me to write this. I've had terrible writing block on this story for a while and I'm sorry that its not very action filled, but it is important to set the scene. Also, you will get to see... er, read, Yugi's new appearance! THIS IS PART OF A MASS UPDATE SO REMEMBER TO READ REVIEW AND THEN LOOK AT MY OTHER STORIES. THEY NEED ENCOURAGEMENT TOO! **

**Peace.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Desert Rose

Seto hated the accursed heat of the Libyan Desert. He muttered swears at the pulsating air as he furiously tried to fan himself. Most of the other duelists were doing the same, almost panting from the heat. Joey was sprawled out on the floor of the truck bed, staring lazily up at the fabric tent that had been set up above their heads. Next to Seto, Mokuba and Tristan had shed most of their clothing and doused themselves in water, hoping to cool down. Mai and the others were all leaning up against the sides of the truck in an attempt to fall asleep. Of those in the back, only Marik, Yami Odion were unaffected, quietly playing a game of Duel Monsters. Seto glanced up at the compartment of the truck where Indi sat, driving. A faint line of sweat trailed down the back of her neck, wetting the tips of her short strands of blue hair.

Snarling, Seto leaned back against the sideboard of the truck bed, yanking up the legs of his pants. A line of sweat had accumulated on the inside of the rolled up cotton slacks, chafing at his skin. Uncomfortable wasn't even close to describing it.

"How much longer?" Joey moaned as he rolled onto his side.

"About ten more minutes," Indi replied. "Drink water Joey. It'll cool you down."

The blonde hissed in annoyance and rotated to his other side, flinging his arms over. Tea spat when her friend's hand hit her shin, kicking the hot hand away. Seto rolled his eyes at them as his attention drifted back to the last few days.

The large group had left Japan a day earlier, taking Seto's private jet to Luxor. After several hours in security, they had been released to the custody of one Hamid Cushing, a half-Egyptian who had worked for the Muto family for years. They had spent the night at his small apartment on the outskirts of the city, their last experience with the bliss of air conditioning. He had graciously let them borrow his truck, which was nearly as old as Hamid himself and just as unstable. When he had first climbed into the bed of the truck, Seto could have sworn he heard the sound of metal bending and breaking.

From there, they had driven due west, heading for Mut, just outside the Dakhal Oasis. Indi told them that her grandmother, Solomon's wife, had owned a large tract of land out there for years, building it into a ranch for her family's horses. Following her death, mostly friends to her grandmother's family had run it until Yugi had moved to Egypt nearly seven years earlier. He had restored it to its former glory and used to as a stopping point between the family's ancestral home at Al-Khayl and the larger cities to the east.

"How much longer, now?" Joey cried.

"We're nearly there," Indi calmly said.

The truck pulled onto a dirt path, following it through an arching gate. Seto leaned slightly out of the truck bed, pulling up the sunglasses that had stuck to his nose with sweat. A few sandy paddocks could be seen in the distance, although there were void of any sort of life. At the end of the drive stood at small house, built in the similar manner to most of the other buildings Seto had seen: stone, whitewashed with some sort of plaster to keep out the heat. The glass windows were dusty and unclear and the front door looked in need of a new coat of paint. Behind the house stood what Seto guessed to be a large barn, also made of plastered stone. As they got closer, he could hear the faint sounds of horses snorting from the darkness of the barn.

Pulling up in front of the house, Indi killed the engine and hopped out of the truck. The duelists in the back all slunk down from the bed to the ground, groaning as their tired legs hit sand. Indi rushed towards the barn, shouting something loudly in Arabic.

"What's got her so excited?" Joey asked.

"She's calling for someone, telling them that we're here," Marik replied as he started walking to follow Indi.

They saw a man come out of the barn, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. A smile broke out on his face as Indi approached at breakneck speed. She flew into his arms, hugging him tightly as the man spun her around. The duelists waited a little ways away, watching the two thrilled people.

Finally, Indi and the man pulled away from each other and noticed the duelists. Indi threw them a grin as she led the man over to them.

"Everyone, this is Aali. He is one of the other trainers that works with my family's horses," Indi explained.

"**Pleased to meet you**," Marik said, holding out his hand to the man.

"**Ah, Indi told me that some fellow Egyptians would be coming along, but I didn't expect someone like you**," the man chuckled.

"**What do you mean?" **Odion asked.

"Apart from you guys, Yugi doesn't have that many friends," Indi sighed. "Aali assumed that you were buyers coming to look at the horses."

Aali murmured something to her in Arabic and she nodded.

"He says that the horses are ready and our provisions have been put together. We'll leave tomorrow at dawn," Indi said.

The following morning, Seto was leaning up against the side of the barn, mumbling angrily to himself. A steaming cup of coffee was nestled in his hand, one of the few warm things that covered his body from the biting cold. Who knew the desert got so cold at night even though it was blistering hot during the day? Certainly, not him.

Indi and a few other handlers were conversing quietly a ways away, several horses tethered to the fence beside them. Mokuba and the other duelists were shivering next to Seto, fighting back curse words and strings of profanities in the young boy's presence.

Finally, Indi called them over and the group scrambled over to the horses. With some help, the assembled duelists were paired up and mounted. Seto and Mokuba were together on a large white mare, a gentle and docile animal that Indi said had been Yugi's second horse after Seyton. She was a brood mare, mostly –something that Joey couldn't stop laughing about- but she was the best equipped to deal with Seto's demanding side.

They had been riding for nearly two hours by the time the sun rose. Joey and Yami trotted just behind Indi on a caramel colored colt that had been Yugi's last challenge before he'd taken to using the Khadim. Marik and Mai were not far behind as well as the pair of Tristan and Tea and Odion, who had his own black stallion. Indi was out ahead, her gray dapple more than happy to lead.

"How much further is this place?" Joey called out as the heat of the sun started to scorch and burn into their skin.

"Another few hours. Now it a good time to pull out those sunglasses and scarves I gave you guys," Indi shouted back.

Yami, Marik, and Odion already had theirs on, remembering the effects of the hot sun better than anyone else. Joey and the others soon followed suit, too hot to do anything else. Seto managed to make it another hour before he too slung the white cloth over his head and pushed the black sunglasses onto his face. He hated to admit defeat, but he had learned that sometimes it was necessary.

It was an hour later that they saw the hulking cliffs in the distance. When they were close enough to make out each individual level of the rocky domain, Indi stopped their caravan, staring out over the sand. Her dapple danced a little in excitement and Indi smiled to herself.

"Home, finally," she sighed.

"I thought you were an American," Yami asked.

"Oh, I am, but everyone in our family considered Al-Khayl to be our real home. Its where our grandmother came from and its where our clan originated," Indi said as she gently kicked her horse into a happy trot.

Yami was about to ask another question when the loud ring of a horn burst out over the open sand. Indi jerked her horse to a stop, holding out her hand for them to do the same. The horses' ears pricked forward, waiting in silence. A shrill whistle broke the silence and Indi's grin reappeared, spreading across her face like water over a rock.

"Come on," she called to them, urging the dapple into a gallop. The duelists followed in confused silence, unsure what to do as they trotted up the small dune before them. At the top, they all stopped beside Indi, lined up in a single row like tin soldiers. They stared down at the flat lands below that stretched from the dune all the way to the cliffs. A herd of horses at least a hundred strong galloped along the flat lands, being urged and ushered by a single red stallion and its rider.

Seto's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the beautiful show of power. The stallion was huge, probably standing at nearly his height if not taller. Its body was muscled and stream line, only the leather saddle breaking the smooth curves of its body. Light hooves thundered across the sand, unperturbed by the uneven surface. A bridle adorned with flashing metal was wrapped around its head, the reigns trailing up to a pair of thin arms hidden in white sleeves.

The rider was small, tiny compared to the hulk of a horse that it rode, but the rider was clearly skilled. The thin legs that clung to the stallion's side were unmoving, clenched tightly. The body was leaning forward slightly in the saddle as the stallion galloped at full speed, leaning slightly to the left as the horse made a wide turn around the herd.

"Seems he got back on his feet fast," Indi laughed as the herd started to head towards the cliffs.

Four other horses and riders burst from seemingly out of nowhere, lining up on either side of the herd. The red stallion slowed to a trot and then stopped all together, the riding sitting still and tall in the saddle as the herd got further and further away. Without a movement, the rider turned the horse around to face them. The rider lifted his head to look up at them, but the shadow made by his hood kept his face disguised.

Breaking into a trot, the rider and horse approached the dune, climbing it with relative ease. Indi urged her dapple back as the hulk of a stallion approached, stopping where her horse had just stood. Yanking off the hood, the young man underneath it scowled at Indi. The duelists around him gasped as he scowled a little, eyebrows furrowed.

"Was this really necessary, cousin?" Yugi asked, his long red hair swishing freely behind him like a tail.

"They wanted to know, Yu. Who was I to stop them?"

Yugi's gaze traveled over his friends, sighing deeply. Seto stared at the teenager, enraptured by the changes he'd undergone. His face was slimmer, having lost its boyish innocence. With defined cheekbones, Yugi had gone from cute to beautiful, taking clearly after his mother. Seto could feel his stomach tighten as his eyes raked over his former classmate. He seemed a tad bit taller, although that may have just been due to the size of the horse he sat on. His eyes were still a deep purple, although the expressive state had been replaced with a cool attitude. The yellow bangs hung low over his eyebrows, but the telltale spikes had flattened and lengthened into a thick tail of red hair. Pulled back into a high ponytail with a gold clasp, the tail reached to the middle of his back.

"Well, nothing I can do now," Yugi murmured to himself as he turned away from his cousin, urging his horse with a click.

Indi and her dapple stepped up beside Yugi. Reaching out, she flicked his shoulder playfully and rolled her eyes. Yugi gave her a twitch of his mouth before breaking out into a grin.

"Loser washes Valhala?"

"Deal."

The two horses broke into a fierce gallop down the slope, Indi shouted happily. Seto and the others watched as the two cousins raced, Yugi's stallion quickly overtaking Indi's dapple. They stared in rapture as the red monster seemingly glided over the sand, his hooves barely touching the ground. Slowly, Seto and the other duelists urged their horses after the wild and unworried cousins.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: It's been a while for this story, but here is the new chapter FINALLY! It's cute in my opinion and we get to meet more OC's! The next chapter however, is the one that I've been really looking forward to so keep checking bad. It should be coming soon. REMEMBER: READ, REVIEW, REPEAT!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Land of Hope and Dreams

As they rode into one of the large canyons that broke apart the giant plateau of rock above them, the duelists marveled at the stone around him. Most of it was a mix of a deep shade of red and a sandy tan, layered in colors. High above their heads, the sky was the same piercing shade of blue, adding to the exuberance of the whole image. The horses beneath them nickered and pranced as they rode otherwise silently through the canyon. A strong breeze flowed freely between the two walls of stone, sweeping around bends in the rock and picking at their hair. A river trickled slowly down the middle of the canyon, having receded about twenty yards on either side from the walls so their horses had plenty of room to walk on.

Seto's eyes, however, were trained forward, following in the direction that Indi and Yugi had disappeared. Although he pushed it aside, he really wanted to see the smaller teen ride again. Yugi had been a sight to behold, if Seto were to be truly honest with himself, so strong in a way that the older Kaiba had never seen him show before.

Behind him, Mokuba was staring up at his brother in curiosity. He knew that his brother held deep seeded feelings for Yugi that Seto didn't even recognize. Mokuba hadn't spent his entire life around his brother to not be able to understand his emotions for him. The smaller boy smiled a little, hugging his brother tightly around the waist.

"Is something wrong, Mokuba?" Seto asked, his face stoic.

"No," the black-haired boy replied. "Just thinking about something."

"Thinking about what?" the older Kaiba asked.

"Nothing big," Mokuba said, inwardly snickering.

_At least not in height, he's not._

"Look!" Joey shouted as they came around the bend.

"What is this place?" Yami asked, pulling back on the reigns to stop his horse.

"The City of Horses," Marik murmured, eyes wide with awe. "Al-Khayl, the home of the greatest horse breeders in all of history."

From where they stood, the canyon walls suddenly jerked away from each other, rounding into a circle nearly five hundred yards in diameter. At the far end of the canyon stood a huge paddock; full of the horses they had seen being shepherded earlier by Yugi. The paddock's fences were made of stones that stuck upright, grooves cut into them so the wooden slats between them fit snuggly against the stone. The fence curved around one side of the pool that the river emptied into at the center of the rounded oasis, a perfect spot for the horses that grazed on the trees and plants growing up around it. A large cave going back several more feet had been cut into the far wall of the canyon for the horses to escape the sun's heat. Off to one side stood a small wooden building, if it could be called that. It was barely bigger than a classroom at their high school in Domino and only had a single door, which stood open. High up in the cliff walls, more caves had been carved out of the stone, ropes made of wood and rope falling from them to the ground.

"Hey, you made it!" Indi called as she strode toward them.

"No thanks to you," Marik shouted, urging his horse forward. "Why did you leave us in the dust?"

"Sorry about that. Yugi and I have always been competitive ever since we were young. Horse racing is one thing that I still haven't beaten him at," the blue-haired girl chuckled. "Bring your horses. Yu will teach you how to brush and clean them if you'd like!"

Dismounting, Seto helped Mokuba slide from the saddle, righting his younger brother as he stumbled. Mokuba murmured his thanks before trotting off to follow Indi as she led them towards the pool. Taking his horse's reigns, Seto lead the white mare in the same direction. The horse butted her head against his back when they stopped in front of the water, nickering quietly.

"She seems to like you for some strange reason," Yami snarled as he stepped up beside Seto, leading his own black mare.

"Rim likes everyone, Yami," Yugi said as he stepped out of the wooden building, a metal bucket in one hand and a horse's brush in the other. "She somehow managed to stay overly kind despite her last owner. He had a particular love for 'electric shock therapy' as he called it."

"Rim?" Joey asked.

"Arabic for white antelope," Marik explained.

"With the speed she has, it's a good fit," Indi laughed, taking Rim's reigns from Seto.

"I doubt anything could be faster than that red one though," Yami said as he motioned to Yugi's red stallion.

"Seyton is the fastest in our tribe's entire herd," Indi said, "But he only listens to Yugi. Anyone else even tries to get on his back and he kicks them straight off like a wild animal."

"Would you trust a stranger getting onto your back without asking?" Yugi asked.

He stepped over to the pool, filling the bucket with water. Whistling sharply once, he stood and carried the heavy bucket over to the assembled horses. Responding to the sound, Seyton quickly trotted over, cutting through the crowd of duelists as he stepped over to his owner. Yugi get the bucket down on the ground, turning to look at the giant stallion. The horse dropped its head to Yugi's level, nuzzling his chest.

"Come on Indi! These horses need a bath and you lost the race. You have to bath Valhalla and the rest," Yugi shouted to his cousin.

Grabbing the bucket that sat at his feet, he lifted it up with a single hand and, using the other to steady it, poured the entirety of it over the length of Seyton's giant body. The horse whinnied happily, shaking the excess water from his red coat. Sauntering over with a bucket of her own, Indi copied her cousin with her dapple-gray first.

Seto and the others stood aside, watching the two cousins work. Following a wipe down, the horses were given a good brush and by the end, their coats shined. When each one was finished with their grooming, for the exception of Seyton, the horses trotted away to the paddock to be with the rest of the herd.

"You do love your horses, don't you?" Yami asked as Yugi walked over to stand with him and the other duelists.

"I do and they trust me so it works well," the smaller teenager replied.

Seyton stood with his chest to Yugi's back, his head dipping over the young man's shoulder. The horse snorted at Yami and the others, shaking his head wildly. Rolling his eyes, Yugi patted the side of the stallion's head.

"**Behave**," he murmured in the stallion's red ear.

The ear flicked back and the horse straightened up, giving the group of duelists a knowing and searching look that was seemingly inhuman. Stepping away from his owner, the horse trotted away to the edge of the water, leaning down to drink.

"He's got a temper as you can see," Yugi said.

"He's quite the character," Yami replied, clearly amused.

"There's only one of him, that is for sure," Indi sighed, shaking her head. "Oi, Yu. Gramps is probably going to want to know they're here."

"Ah, right. He's probably up in the caves. Come on."

Yugi led the duelists around the pool, flanking it. Walking over to the nearest ladder, he gripped it tightly and started to climb, quickly scaling the wall towards a low cave. He made it up to the cave in a matter of seconds, throwing himself into the hole before turning around and motioning for them to follow. Seto waited for everyone else to be up the ladder and in the cave before trying it himself. When they were all up in the cave, Yugi stood and led them into the darkness.

The cave itself was small, only a few yards of space between the two walls and the passageway that connected it to the intricate series of other caves further into the mountains side was just as long and narrow. The sounds of their shoes echoed off the stone walls and from deep within, a faint voice could be heard. Torches lined the walls, lighting their way.

Finally, they came to another passageway, this one lined with several open arches covered only by thick clothes that hung from the ceiling. Each cloth had a different animal sewn into it: a rearing stallion, a yellow falcon in flight, a blue fish leaping from the water or four others. At the far end stood the only door, made of wood. The voice filtered out through the open space between the stone floor and the wood door.

Yugi rapped on the wooden door with his knuckles, his long red tail swishing behind him.

"Grandpa?" he called. "Indi arrived with some visitors."

The door swung open to reveal Solomon, dressed in his normal attire and a book in one hand. Behind him, the room was well lit from a few powerful lights, their electricity born from the heavy batteries attached to them. When he saw the people standing behind his grandson, he smiled and nodded.

"Told you so."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Yugi replied, sighing.

Solomon shook his head, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. "Alexander said he would bring up your things when he was finished cleaning out the rest of the bedrooms in this passage. You'll have to share, I hope that's alright."

"It's fine and who is this Alexander you mentioned?" Yami asked, changing the subject.

"Another cousin," Yugi said, following his grandfather as he led them down the passageway.

"That would be me," a deep voice said from behind them.

The group turned to see a blond man standing a few feet behind them, leaning up against the cave wall. He scowled slightly, his light purple eyes menacing.

"Guys, meet the oh-so-temperamental and downright bitchy cousin, Alexander Muto," Yugi said with a sigh.

"Your accent… British?" Marik asked.

Alexander nodded. "Born and raised. Any of the rooms without a plain cloth door are yours to use. Grandfather's is here, obviously. My brother Samuel, Indi and I are all on the right. Kenji, another cousin of ours, and Yugi are on the left."

Seto's eyes narrowing as he heard the growl in the older man's voice.

"Had to ruin the fun of a grand tour, eh Alex?" a much more cheerful voice called from down the corridor.

A young man only a few years older than them was walking towards them. He had dark brown hair cropped at the nape of his neck, the signature bangs of the Muto family an even deeper shade of brown. His eyes were a lilac color, open and welcoming. He was also darker in skin tone than his pale cousins were.

"This is Kenji Anders, another cousin," Yugi explained.

"So you're all lil' Yu's friends?" Kenji asked, smiling brightly. "I didn't believe Indi when she told me that, but it seems I was wrong, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Yugi ignored his older cousin's comment.

"How many cousins do you have, Yu?" Joey asked as Alexander scoffed at Kenji and ducked back behind one of the curtains.

"Just four, but Alexander is married and has two kids too," Yugi said.

"And how close we are for having mostly been raised in different countries," Kenji laughed. "With you here, me in Japan, Indi in America, and Samuel and Mr. Pissy over there in England, it's been quite an adventure."

"Now you're just making yourself sound like an ass, Ken. Best stop while you're not far behind," Indi sighed, walking up to stand beside him.

"Don't you mean ahead?" Kenji smiled.

Indi shook her head and quickly kicked his leg. "Don't worry about him. He may seem harmful, but he's really just a overly big teddy bear."

Kenji pouted. "Indi, don't go teasing me for my size just 'cause I'm bigger than the rest of you."

The brunette was in fact taller than the rest of the family, towering above Indi and Yugi at about five foot ten.

"I can tease you as much as I want to, Giant. Come along now. Alex will throw a hissy fit if we don't help him with the bags," Indi said.

"I'm sure that we can get our own," Yami cut in.

"Nonsense. You all can start getting settled in while we get your stuff up here. You don't want to try carrying anything remotely heavy until you're used to the ladders. Falling to your death wouldn't be beneficial to any of us," Indi laughed, pulling Kenji away from them.

Seto glanced down at Yugi, who looked a little bit flushed with embarrassment. The smaller duelist sighed, shaking his head.

"This is one reason why I didn't want you guys to come: the rest of the family was here," he said.

"They seem nice, Yugi," Yami replied.

"Yeah, but I swear they're crazier than I am and that's say a lot," the smaller teen said. "Anyway, you guys can start dividing up the rooms. The ones were giving you are much bigger so they'll fit all of you comfortably."

While Mokuba dashed off to pick a bedroom with the other duelists, Seto stayed behind, standing beside Yugi and his grandfather. None of them said anything, watching as the others shouted to each other like excited children. Even Yami and Marik, both usually so stoic had gotten in on the fun.

"What do you think of it, Kaiba?" Yugi finally asked.

"I've never seen anything like it," the brunette admitted. "It's shocking actually, that something like this is possible. I would have thought the physics of the whole thing would have caused these caves to collapse years ago.

"I'm glad we could find something to surprise you," Solomon laughed.

"You somehow did," Kaiba replied.

"Brother! Come on!" Mokuba shouted from further down the passageway.

Smirking, Yugi nodded to Kaiba. "Seems like your brother wants you. Best get settled in and unpacked. I'm sure you're tired."

"Not really," Kaiba said.

Yugi shrugged. "The desert takes a lot out of you, even if you're used to it, Kaiba. Never underestimate what it can do to you."

With that, the smaller teen walked off. He pushed aside the red curtain that hung a few yards down the passageway, disappearing into what Seto guessed to be his bedroom. The image of a rearing stallion, outlined in gold stitching gave it away.

"I hope you enjoy your time here with us, Kaiba," Solomon said, turning to go back into his own room.

"It will be an experience," Seto snarled.

"Don't be so harsh on everyone, Kaiba. Sometimes being gentle isn't a bad thing," Solomon quietly scolded.

"Don't patronize me, old man."

"I'm not. I'm just stating a fact. You'll need to learn how to be kind if you want to get what you really want."

Seto stared after the old man as the door behind him swung closed, his shock evident on his face. He frowned a little, huffing before he stormed off in search of Mokuba.

* * *

The title for this chapter is from a song "Land of Hope and Dreams" from Bruce Springsteen's newest album "Wrecking Ball".


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: I am so fricken excited for this chapter you have no idea! I've been waiting for this for... twelve chapters! Finally, some really cute and adorable fluffiness! And if you want more: READ, REVIEW, REPEAT! Even characters need a little encouragement sometimes ;)**

* * *

Chapter 13: White Flag

Late that night, Seto lay awake in the low bed on which he slept. Blankets were pulled up his shoulder to keep out the cold, but he felt strangely warm. It had nothing to do with Mokuba, who was sleeping with his back to him. No, it was a problem of a much larger magnitude.

He could not wrap his mind around this new Yugi. During the afternoon that they'd all spent together, Seto had discovered that the smaller teen, while holding onto some of his idealist principles and true love for his friends, also had a quality about him that Seto couldn't quite describe. The other teenager was… thrilling to be around? Contrary to everything Seto had ever thought about him, Yugi was actually quite smart, able to hold an intellectual conversation with Marik on the relaxing qualities of incense.

Growling quietly to himself, he threw an arm over his eyes, unsure what to do. That feeling, the one he'd been pushing away for so long, was back and with reinforcements. It beat in his chest like a wild animal does against a cage, crying to be let out. It clawed at the cold metal bars that he'd put up years ago and howled loudly in his ears. He tried as hard as he could to block it out, but whenever that red-headed duelist came even close to him, it only grew louder.

He sat up and looked around at the cave Mokuba had picked for them. It was a good fifteen feet wide and nearly just as deep. Most of it was bare except for the bed on which they lay and a low table that stood in the center of the room. A few bowls, all freshly washed, were set on top of the wooden table along with a few pairs of chopsticks. Their packs sat along the far wall, mostly untouched.

With a sigh, he threw the blankets off and got up, tucking them back around his brother with care. Walking over to the cloth that hung in the entryway, he pushed it aside and stepped into the passageway. Everything was quiet as he silently followed it towards the surface. The lights had been dimmed for the night, leaving him very little light to see by, but he easily made it to the entrance of the main cave without trouble.

Standing on the edge of the cave mouth, he looked out over the canyon below, sighing to himself. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and scowled. Even out in the cold night air, the heat in his chest had refused to go away. The wind picked at his white t-shirt and black sweatpants, brushing through his brunette hair with ease. It was tousled already from laying in bed and he furiously tried to brush it back out of his eyes when he heard a noise from below.

Down in the canyon, a horse had whinnied. In the dark shadows created in sharp contrast to the large bonfire that burned in the center of the canyon, Seto could just make out someone small mounting a giant horse. With a soft click, the horse started forward, trotting easily along the sand below.

Hopping onto the ladder, Seto descended into the dark, leaping down onto the sand when he was close enough. Following the horse and rider, he winded alongside the river until he heard the clicking of hooves on stone. He saw a vague, hulking shape step up onto a path cut into the rock wall that sharply rose away from the ground. Small rocks fell from the cliff as the horse trotted confidently up along the cliff face.

When the figure was far enough away, Seto moved to follow, his bare feet cold against the stone. As he climbed, he periodically checked the horse and rider ahead. Neither had seemed to notice him, continuing on their way without ever seeming to look back. After several minutes of climbing, the horse and rider suddenly diverged to the left, having come to the top of the canyon wall. Seto scrambled up after them, gasping when he stepped out onto the top of the cliff.

The moon hung low in the sky, illuminating the stone plateau in white light. The giant of a horse, Seyton, was prancing about in the light, kicking up his heels and throwing his head wildly. Yugi, who stood just off to the side, smiled and laughed lightly as the horse as it enjoyed the open plateau.

"So you really were following us," Yugi mused, glancing over at Seto.

Taken aback, the brunette scowled. "I was not."

Shaking his head, Yugi laughed, "Just be honest with yourself for once, Kaiba. You wanted to know where we were going."

"Fine, I was curious," Seto admitted, easily giving in as the burning in his chest was bothering him.

"Are you alright, Kaiba? You seem distracted," Yugi said, turning towards him.

"N-No, I'm fine," Seto coughed as he blushed slightly.

Sighing, Yugi hopped down from his perch and thrust his hands into the pockets of his dark blue jeans.

"Again, your lack of honest astounds me, Kaiba," the smaller duelist said.

"I'm not lying," Seto snapped. "I am fine."

"Whatever."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Yugi's eyes following his stallion as the horse continued to play. Seto tried to focus on it as well, but his gaze kept drifting back to the other duelist a few feet away. Yugi wore a pair of dark jeans and a black tank, the fabric loose over his thin torso. Seto could just make out a few light scars that peaked from under the shirt. The signature belt around his neck was gone, replaced by a thin line of bandages that hid the scar underneath. His feet were bare, accentuating just how small they were. His long hair was still up in a ponytail, although the gold clasp was missing as well.

"Like what you see?" Yugi teased, still not taking his eyes off of Seyton's prancing form.

Seto's blush deepened and he scowled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been staring at me for the past few minutes, Kaiba. I'm not that unobservant," Yugi replied, finally looking over at the taller man. "Do you like me, Kaiba?"

"Huh?" Seto cried in shock.

He stared at the smaller teen, eyes wide. Yugi's face was emotionless, even his purple eyes.

"O-Of course not," Seto stuttered a little.

Taking a deep breath, Yugi shook his head and laughed lightly.

"Of course not," he repeated, running a hand over his hair. "There's no way that you would like guys."

Seto quickly glanced back at Yugi, eyes narrowing in suspicious. Was that a hint of regret in his voice? Brushing away whatever that hidden emotion was, Yugi grinned up at Seto

"Don't worry, Kaiba. I may like dick, but I'm not so desperate to go after a straight guy."

"When did you become so crass?" Seto asked.

Yugi shrugged. "It's just ever now and then that it slips out. I grew up around Indi and she's got a mouth like a sailor. You can't really blame me."

"No, I suppose not," Seto said slowly. "So you're gay?"

"Guilt as charged, not that I've ever had a boyfriend before."

"Why not?"

Yugi laughed, shaking his head.

"Imagine someone like me trying to date. It would be a disaster."

"Why?"

Reaching up, Yugi slowly untied the bandages from around his neck. As he unwound the white fabric, more and more of the dark scar underneath became apparent. Seto didn't even cringe when the bandages had been fully taken away. Yugi tapped the scar with his finger.

"Imagine trying to look at that all the time. It's hard enough for me to and I've had this thing for years," Yugi sighed.

"No, I suppose that no one likes looking at their scars," Seto replied.

"You seem to be speaking from experience, Kaiba," Yugi murmured.

"Huh?"

"Not all scars are physical. There are internal ones too. Those can be even more painful to look at because instead of hiding them under cloth and leather, we disguise them behind other aspects of our personalities, whether it is humor, being overly kind, or, in your case, extreme anger."

"I am not hiding anything."

"Lying yet again, Kaiba."

Seto snorted.

"Don't act like you know me, brat."

"I suppose I don't, but at least I understand."

Stealing a glance over at the smaller teen, Seto frowned. Yugi was leaning back against the boulder, his eyes closed and his face relaxed. He didn't seem to be paying attention to Seto at all, the fingers of his right hand tapping out some melodic tune that Seto vaguely recognized. Seyton came trotting over to them, brushing his nose against Yugi's forehead. Without opening his eyes, Yugi reached up with his still hand and brushed it down the giant stallion's muzzle.

"I've found that that animals are always much more honest than humans are," he said slowly.

"Of course. Their lives aren't complicated like that of a human," Seto snarled.

"That's not true at all. Their lives are complicated in just a very different way," Yugi replied. "Even when they have owners, they always have to think about being fed, where they'll find their food, and water. Humans have just managed to make these things easily accessible to themselves so they can worry about other things."

"Are you making the claim that the lives of animals are better than a human's?"

"Of course not. I'm just making the comparison."

"Sounds like a load of shit to me."

"Everything sounds like a load of shit to you, Kaiba."

Rolling his eyes, Yugi pushed Seyton's head away from him. The horse flicked its tail as it broke into a trot and then a gallop, resuming his earlier thrilling play. Yugi smiled as he watched the stallion race away from them.

"Do you have something about pointing out supposed flaws in my personality?" Seto asked.

"It's definitely not a turn-on, if that's what you mean. Sometimes, in order to grow however, you need someone else tell you what they need to work on," Yugi replied.

"I don't need help from anyone," Seto snapped.

Sighing, Yugi shook his head. "More lies. I don't really care all that much if you lie to me, Seto, but you really need to stop lying to yourself. It's not healthy."

Seto's heart jumped as the smaller teen said his name and Yugi, realizing what he'd said, blushed deeply, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"Sorry, such familiarity probably isn't acceptable, huh? We're not even friends," Yugi laughed nervously.

"No we're not," Seto agreed.

"Right."

"But we could be."

"Huh?"

Yugi looked over at Seto in shock. The stoic man had his gaze fixed straight ahead, arms crossed over his chest.

"Really?" Yugi asked.

Seto nodded and the red-head broke into a grin.

"I'd like that," he said.

"Is there anything else you'd like?" Seto asked.

"Huh?" Yugi said once again, dumbly replying.

"I asked if there is anything else you'd like," the brunette snarled.

Yugi's mouth dropped open. "Uh, no, not really."

Huffing, Seto shook his head and ran his fingers through his brown hair. He growled quietly to himself, shooting a sideways glance at Yugi.

"So fucking humble. It's ridiculous. I'd hoped at least that would go away with the Khadim gone."

Suddenly, a fist grabbed his shirt, dragging Seto down. He opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off by Yugi's mouth crushed his own. Brown eyes widened for a moment and then softened as they kissed.

They pulled away from each other for a moment, studying each other before Seto bent in again on his own free will and kissed the red-head. Yugi gasped as the slick appendage slipped into his mouth and slid against his own. He moaned, his eyes drifting close. Slowly, he reached up and wrapped his arms around Seto's neck, pulling them closer together; Seto's grip on his hips tightened as their tongues wrestled and fought. Grabbing Yugi's hips, Seto picked him up and set him on top of the small boulder so they could kiss easier.

Yugi groaned as Seto's mouth pulled away from his. Bending his head, Seto gently kissed the red mark that marred the skin of Yugi's skin. A shiver ran up the red-head's spine and he groaned, his hips pressed tightly against Seto's. The brunette, meanwhile, was slowly kissing his way along the scar, following the curve of his neck. When he reached the end, Seto nipped at Yugi's ear and wrapped his arms around the smaller teen.

"I'm sorry, Kaiba. I don't know-"

"Now who is the liar? I'm sorry too, but not at all about what just happened."

Yugi frowned, giving Seto a quizzical look. He gasped when a hot tongue traced the outline of his ear.

"I was lying earlier," Seto murmured. "I like you, Yugi. I always did, but after I saw you this afternoon it became something completely different. Also, I'm not straight, not even by a long shot."

Yugi's tense body sagged against the boulder and he fell onto his back. Covering his face with his hands, he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He tried to ignore the heat that poured from his groin, the one that that he was still touching Seto. A heavy blush spread over his features.

"I-I always thought that you were."

"Not even close," Seto chuckled, grabbing the back of Yugi's neck.

He lifted the smaller teen back up into a sitting position, their faces at the same height. Tearing the hands away from his face, Yugi rested his heated forehead against Seto's, still unsure what to do.

"I like you too," he quietly replied.

Rolling his eyes, Seto said, "I can see that, brat."

Yugi laughed lightly, fisting the front of Seto's already wrinkled shirt.

"So what now, Kaiba?" he whispered.

"Well, for starters, you can stop calling me by my first name. I think that as my boyfriend, you're allowed to call me Seto."

"We're boyfriends now?"

"Of course, idiotic brat! Do you think I'd just let you kiss me without getting something in return?"

"I thought that you were a cutthroat businessman, _Seto_."

"I am, but that doesn't mean that I'm completely unfair."

"I would have never guessed that by the way you act."

"Be quiet, little brat, but don't close your mouth. I want to kiss you a few more times."

"That sounds nice."

"What did I say, Yugi?"


	15. Note

Note to the Readers:

I have recently read through this work and I am unsatisfied with how it is written. In my opinion, it is my worst story in terms of the quality of writing. It reminds me of how I used to write in middle school, a fact that annoys the hell out of me. So I have decided to rewrite it. The major plot points will be the same, but chapters may be changed and things may happen in a different order. I hope that you will continue to support this story in its new form: Shadows Hold Secrets.

Thank you for all of your support.

Distance_Master


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